Let the Games Begin!
by Vergil1989 the Crossover King
Summary: Summary: Two years have passed since the fall of Izanami, and the world has since been gripped in the craze that is Duel Monsters. With the new game come new challenges, new friends, and new opponents. Will a Fool rise to confront these new threats? Only one way to find out. It's time to duel! Rated T for now.
1. Deck Profile

**Author's Notes**: Hey folks, been a while. My current RL situation is still a bit iffy in regards to what's been going with my folks, long story, but today I did get some good news so that means good things coming your way lol. That aside, a few things real quick.

If you're a fan of **Master of the Wild Card's story, Yu-Gi-Oh FES**, like me, then some of the ideas involved here might bear some resemblance. However, no two authors are the same, so expect some unique twists if I pull this off right. That being said, while I'm a fan of the game, I've never written a duel fanfiction before, so bear with me while I work out the kinks. And that wasn't meant as a pun, the bear comment I mean lol.

I'll try to get a list of cards out in this section, but it'll be subject to change as I settle for a good deck, so don't be surprised if this list goes through several revisions. On that note, while I do have a few ideas already, any help so I don't make this deck _too_ overpowered would be appreciated. This is fanfiction after all lol. As a quick side note, this is old school Yu-Gi-Oh, before it got overly complex with Synchro Summons, Tuners, and all that other stuff. I like 'em, but they just aren't my thing is all. Still, it's time to duel!

**Minaly22** has been a MAJOR help with this part of the story. I don't think I'd have managed to get this deck together without their assistance. For all of your Yugioh deck needs, talk to Minaly. D At any rate, it's time to reveal the lineup!

**Monsters**;

Persona, Izanagi, The Fool.

Light - Warrior

Level 4

Atk 1300 / Def 700

Effect; Once per Battle Phase, choose a monster card on your field and increase its Atk by 600 until the Ending Phase. By returning this card from the field to your hand, you can normal summon again except 'Izanagi, the Fool'.

Persona, Megatsu Izanagi, the Fool

Dark - Warrior

Level 4

Atk 1600 / 800

Effect; Once per turn, discard one card from your hand to activate one of its effects: 1. Destroy a face up monster card. 2. Destroy a face up Spell/Trap card. Destroy this card if either you or your opponent have no cards in your hand.

Persona, Tomoe, The Chariot.

Ice - Warrior

Level 3

Atk 1400 / Def 1800

Effect; You can special summon this card if you have no face up monster on your field. When in Defense Mode, Tomoe's Defense power increases by 100 points for every monster on the field. This card will not be destroyed in battle once each turn.

Persona, Jiraiya, the Magician.

Wind - Spellcaster

Level 3

Atk 1200 / Def 600

Effect; Look through the deck for 3 Magic card once per turn and randomly pick one, you may pay 500 Life Points to activate the chosen card's effect, or set it on the field without paying any life points. If you choose to set the card you cannot activate it this turn. (if you take 3 transmogrification then it would only cost you , the next time you want to do the same the chances would be lower) This card can attack the enemy directly.

Persona, Konohana Sakuya, The Priestess

Fire - Spellcaster

Level 3

Atk 1100 / Def 600

Effect; Once per turn, by removing a card in the graveyard from play, choose a magic or trap card and add it into your hand. The chosen card cannot be activated during the same turn 'Konohana Sakuya, the Priestess' 's effect has been activated. While you have this card in your hand and you are attacked directly, you may discard this card to the graveyard to negate the damage and end the battle phase.

Persona, Sukuna-Hikona, the Fortune.

Dark - Warrior

Level 1

Atk 100 / Def 100

Effect; Choose one monster on the field, and until the Battle Phase ends, increase this card's Atk/Def with the same amount of Atk/Def of the chosen monster, decrease 100 Life Points per Level depending on the chosen monster. Negate a monster/spell/trap card's effect by banishing this card from the field.

Persona, Take-Mikazuchi, The Emperor

Light - Machine

Level 4

Atk 2100 / Def 300

Effect; Flip: both players return all the cards in their hands into the deck, after shuffling they must draw the same number of cards they initially returned. This card is switched into Defense position if it inflicted battle damage to the opponent.

Persona, Kintoki-Douji, the Star

Ice - Fairy

Level 4

Atk 1000 / Def 1000

Effect; Flip a coin. If it comes up heads, then look at the top 5 cards of your deck, choose a Level 4 or lower Monster Card from them and Special Summon it to the field in any position you choose. If it comes up tails, send a monster card from your hand or the field to the Graveyard, and lose a 100 life points per level of that card.

Persona, Himiko, the Lovers

Light - Spellcaster

Level 4

Atk 0 / Def 2500

Effect; When this card is successfully summoned, reveal the opponent's hand and choose one card, the chosen card is banished until 'Himiko, the Lovers' leaves the field. Once per turn, you can reveal up to 3 face-down cards on the field. When this card leaves the field you may choose 1 of your banished card and add it into your hand.

Senri, the Empress

Fire - Beast

Level 3

900/900

When this card is successfully summoned, draw 1 card. Once per turn this card can be returned to your deck to special summon a monster that is lv3 or below, except 'Senri, the Empress'.

Anzu, the Hierophant

Wind - Winged beast

Level 3

500/800

You can negate a card's destruction by discarding this card from your hand to the graveyard. When this card is on the field, monsters that are controlled by your opponent can only attack the monster with the highest amount of ATK or DEF you control (this decision is up to your opponent to decide).

Principality, the Justice

Light - Fairy

Level 4

1400/1000

When this card is summoned on the field, you can destroy one spell/trap card on the field. This card cannot be destroyed by battle unless fighting against a LIGHT (element) monster.

Lamia, the Hermit

Dark - Reptile

Level 4

1400/1000

When this card is summoned on the field, you can destroy one monster card that is lv4 or below on the field. This card cannot be destroyed by battle unless fighting against a DARK (element) monster.

Sandman, the Strength

Wind - Fairy

Level 1

200/200

This card can be discarded from your hand to negate an effect that meddles with the graveyard. While in the graveyard, banish this card, and add a lv3 or below monster from your deck into your hand.

Persona, Yomotsu Ikusa, the Hanged Man

Dark - Undead

Level 4

1500/1300

When this card is sent to the graveyard (from anywhere!), decrease the ATK/DEF of all monsters your opponent control by 500. When this card is in the graveyard, you can banish this card to choose a monster on the field. Decrease its ATK/DEF by 1000.

Persona, Mokoi, the Death

Dark - Undead

Level 2

800/800

When this card is destroyed, inflict 200 damage for each card they control on the field. By discarding a card from your hand while this card is in the graveyard, you can select one lv3 or below monster from the grave and add it to your hand.

Persona, Apsaras, the Temperance

Ice - Fairy

Level 1

700/500

Once per turn, when you sent a card to the graveyard, you may activate this effect. Reveal the top card on your deck, if the type of card that was sent to the graveyard is the same as the card on the top of your deck, then add it into your hand.

Persona, Pazuzu, the Devil

Earth - Devil

Level 5

2000/2000

Once per turn, you can discard one card to gain 800 life points. This card can be special summoned from the hand, however its ATK/DEF will be halved if summoned this way.

Persona, Tao Tie, the Tower

Earth - Beast

Level 5

1500/2400

Once per turn, select a monster you control and a monster your opponent controls. Switch their ATK/DEF.

Persona, Beelzebub, the Moon

Ice - Insect

Level 6

2500/1200

Once per turn, target a monster your opponent controls, the selected monster's effect is negated until the End Phase. This card can be special summoned from the graveyard by discarding 1 card from your hand.

Persona, Tam Lin, the Sun

Fire - Warrior

Level 6

1500/2500

This card can still attack while in defense position. This card can attack directly in Attack position. You can special summon this card from your hand by banishing a card from your graveyard.

Persona, Metatron, the Judgment

Light - Machine

Level 7

2800/2500

Effect; This card cannot be special summoned. You can normal summon this card with only 1 sacrifice, but this card will self destruct during the End Phase. Once per turn, select 2 cards from the graveyard and return them to your deck, then draw 2 cards.

**Spells;**

The Arcana is the means by which all is revealed...

Effect; Banish 5 different monster cards in your graveyard. Then choose one of the following effects to activate. 1. Draw 3 cards. 2. Destroy 3 cards. 3. Skip your opponent's turn once.

Persona Compendium - Le Grimoire

Search through your deck for a 'Persona' monster and add it to your hand. You cannot special summon this turn.

Velvet Bookmark

Special summon an Ultimate Persona from your extra deck. It cannot attack and is destroyed in the Ending Phase.

Velvet VIP - Continuous spell

When activating Transmogrification Ritual, you only need to sacrifice half the amount of stars that are required. If the number cannot be perfectly halved, then round down. If this card is sent the graveyard (from anywhere), select one Transmogrification (from anywhere but the Banish zone) and add it to your hand.

Recarm

Effect: Choose one monster card in your graveyard and Special summon it onto the field in any position you want. It cannot attack this turn and both ATK/DEF are halved until the Ending phase.

Power of Our Bonds;

Effect; Negates the damage incurred by the power of Midnight Channel upon activation. If activated after Midnight Channel is played, recover 1000 Life Points. Recover 200 Life Points every turn otherwise.

All out Attack!

Effect: You can activate this card if you have 2 or more monsters on your field. All the monsters on your field's attack are decreased by 800 but can directly attack your opponent.

Soul of the Link;

Effect; Recover 200 Life Points for every Persona Monster Card in your Graveyard.

Heat Riser

Effect: Select one monster you control, double the ATK/DEF of that monster until the Ending Phase.

Megidolaon

Effect: Inflict 1000 damage to your enemy for every field spell that is present on the field and destroys them.

Kamui Miracle!

Effect: Flip 5 coins. Then activate the all following effects as long as you have enough heads. However you may choose to not activate them. 1 head, inflict 500 damage to you and your opponent for every card you/they have in the hand. 2 heads, return all the cards in the graveyard to their respective owner's deck, after shuffling, send the same amount of cards that have been returned to the graveyard. 3 heads, destroy all monster card on the field. 4 heads, destroy all magic/trap cards on the field. 5 heads, send every single card of your hand and deck into the graveyard, choose 1 out of them all and let your opponent guess its type (monster, spell, trap); if they guessed correctly, you automatically lose, if guessed incorrectly, you automatically win.

Equip Spell - The Orb of Sight;

Effect; Can only be equipped to a monster that has the name 'Izanagi', you can attack twice as long as it's equipped.

Field Spell - Velvet Room.

Effect; Improves the attack and defense of any Persona Summon by 300 Points.

Field Spell - Midnight Channel

Effect; Pay 1000 Life Points to activate. Negates the need for a Transmogrification Ritual Card, and monsters summoned through this cannot be stopped. (Plot device.)

**Traps**;

A Downed Enemy!

Effect: If any of your monsters destroyed a monster your opponent controls, it may attack a second time.

Shield of Justice;

Effect; Can negate any attack directed at one of your Persona Monsters upon activation, stopping the Battle Phase at the same time.

Mudoon;

Effect; Remove a chosen monster card from play for 3 turns. After 3 turns the owner of the monster can choose to either return it to their hand or graveyard.

Hamaon;

Effect; By sacrificing 500 Life Points, or returning 1 banished monster to the deck, you can destroy and negate any Effect Monster from your opponent's side of the field when an Effect is activated.

Salvation

Effect: If your Life Points and your opponent's Life Points are 2000 points apart, you may activate one of the following effects. 1. Special summon as many level 4 or lower monster as possible from your graveyard to the field. 2. Add your life points and your enemies life points together, then divide it by two, both you and the enemy's Life Points are changed into that number. 3. Draw 3 cards, but discard 1 card every Ending Phase until you have discarded 3 cards in total through this effect.

DIE FOR ME!

Effect: Only activate when more than 3 cards you control have been destroyed. Destroy all existing cards on the field. Afterwards, both players draw 8 cards, and both players can special summon any number of monster from their hand bypassing all restrictions.

Debilitate

Effect: Choose one monster your opponent controls and change their ATK/DEF into 0/0 until the Ending Phase.

**Extra Deck;**

(As a side note, I realize these Fusion/Ritual Cards don't belong here, it's just easier for me to organize them this way is all. ;D)

Transmogrification Ritual Card x 3

Effect; Allows the creation of Ultimate Arcana Personas if the necessary monsters are in your field, hand, or deck. The Summoned Card cannot be used to attack the same turn it's summoned.

Persona, Izanagi-No-Okami, Ultimate World Arcana

Light

Level 12

Atk 3500 Def 3000

Effects; Cannot be Summoned without Sacrificing one Izanagi, the Fool, one Megatsu Izanagi, the Fool, and two level four monsters from your hand, field, or deck. Must use a Transmogrification Ritual.

Once per turn, Izanagi-No-Okami can destroy any number of cards on the field by sending the same number of cards from your deck to the Graveyard. You can negate a card's activation or effect by decreasing 500 Atk and Def from Izanagi-No-Okami.

Persona, Suzuka Gongen

Ice

Level 7

2500/2000

Cannot be summoned without sacrificing at least Tomoe, the Chariot when using the Transmogrification Ritual magic card.

Once per turn, choose up to 2 cards on the field and change them into Defense position while decreasing their defense points by 1000. During battle between this attacking card and a Defense Position monster whose DEF is lower than the ATK of this card, inflict the difference as Battle Damage to your opponent.

Persona, Ametarasu, Ultimate Priestess Arcana

Fire

Level 6

Atk 2200 / 2000 Def

Effect; Increases 300 Atk to all monsters on your field for every 500 Life Points that you are missing. Once per turn, choose 1 monster card in the graveyard and Special Summon it to your field. The chosen card is returned to the graveyard during the End Phase.

Persona, Susano-O, Ultimate Magician Arcana

Wind

Level 7

2400/2300

Effect; When successfully summoning this card, return all magic/trap cards on the field to their respective owner's hand. This card can attack twice each turn. By halving this card's attack, it can attack your opponent directly. This card is unaffected by enemy Magic cards.

Persona, Rokuten Maoh, The Ultimate Emperor Arcana

Light

Level 8

3000/1500

Effect: Once per turn choose up to 2 cards on the field and change them into Face up Attack position, then decrease their ATK by 1000. If you destroy a monster your opponent controls through battle, you can choose one card from their hand and return it to the deck. This card is changed into Defense Position every Ending Phase.

Persona, Kanzeon, the Ultimate Lover Arcana

Light

Level 6

0/3500

Effect: This card cannot be targeted by enemy effects. As long as this card is on the field, your opponent must reveal their hand at all times. Your opponent cannot activate magic cards without setting them first. Your opponent cannot activate a card that has been set on the same turn. Once per turn, reveal the top 3 cards of your enemy's deck, rearrange the 3 cards in any order that you wish.

Persona, Kamui, the Ultimate, Star Arcana

Ice

Level 7

?/?

Effect: Flip 3 coins every standby phase. For every heads, increase the ATK/DEF of this card by 1000. During the End Phase, this card's ATK/DEF return to ?/?. Once per turn, you can flip 3 coins and activate the following effects. 1 heads: Draw one card or randomly discard a card that your opponent has in their hand. 2 heads: Draw 2 cards or destroy 1 card on the field. 3 heads: Draw 3 cards or Special summon an Ultimate Persona card from the extra deck, except Izanagi no Okami. This special summon is treated as summoning via Transmogrification Ritual card.

Persona, Yamato-Takeru, the Ultimate Wheel of Fortune Arcana

Dark

Level 8

1000/1000

Effect: Once successfully summoned, negate the effect of all face up cards on the field except this card. Once per turn, choose a monster on the field and increase this card's ATK/DEF by the chosen monster's ATK/DEF until the Ending phase. Any card that has been destroyed through battling this card are banished. This card cannot be banished.

**Other Notable Cards;**

Monster Reborn

Giant Trunade

Dust Tornado

Mirror Force

Negate Attack

Brain Control

Spell Binding Circle

Swords of Revealing Light

Nightmare Steelcage


	2. The Journey Begins

**Author's Notes;** While my deck is, as far as I can tell anyway, pretty much complete, I thought I'd at least get the story started and work on it as ideas and suggestions for Yu's introduction to the world of Duel Monsters is finalized. So while the actual duels might not be for a few chapters, the story itself is what matters to me anyway, so it's no big deal for the moment. There WILL be duels, just I like to set the stage in a reasonable manner first before getting too crazy. D At any rate, enjoy guys and gals.

_Another summer vacation, but this time, I'm not leaving._ Yu smiled to himself as he looked out the train window, the gray bland tunnel giving way to the grass covered hills of the peaceful countryside. After what had felt like an eternity of university exams, class work, and the pollution filled air of the city, he was finally back where he belonged. Inaba had become his home two years ago, despite the fact upon his arrival, the first of several murders were committed. Amidst the chaos that single act of violence had wrought, he had become friends with several of the residents of the small country town, and had gotten his uncle and his little girl to grow closer to each other during that difficult time. Not only that, but he had awakened to a power that had given him the ability to protect everyone he had grown to love and cherish more than his own life.

And now he was going back to where his life had truly begun. Everything before the murders that had rocked Inaba during that year had been empty, void of any connections, of any meaning to his life. His parents had constantly moved around, always letting work dictate where he'd spend his days from year to year, sometimes even month to month. He was never allowed to connect with anyone for long, so he had pretty much given up before he had come to Inaba. What was the point of trying to hold onto anything when everything was torn apart at the whim of his parents that didn't seem to care what their choices were doing to him?

Then he was forced to move to Inaba, forced to live with an uncle he barely remembered, and his eight year old daughter. To him, it had been another seemingly careless decision made by his parents, but this time, the unexpected had happened. His life had taken a turn for the better despite the trouble he and his new friends had gotten mixed up in.

Yu's thoughts were interrupted when he looked up, his gray eyes focusing on the speaker that was at the other end of the train car about the same time the brakes were applied. They were pulling into the station at last. Pulling down his bag from the overhead compartment, Yu was the first at the train doors. He offered his reflection a subtle smile when his gray eyes caught sight of his power, the glowing yellow eyes and the armored mask of Izanagi-No-Okami. His Persona nodded his head as the train doors opened, disappearing from sight as the midafternoon sun hit Yu in the face, forcing him to shield his eyes with his right hand.

That moment was all Nanako Dojima needed as Yu stepped off the train, all but bullrushing the young man to the ground. "Big Brother! You're back!" Somehow, despite the not so small Nanako slamming into his chest, Yu managed to stand his ground and wrap the exuberant girl in a one armed hug until he set his giant duffel bag down.

"I'm glad to be home Nanako." Yu replied softly, his gray eyes alight with the depths of his joy at being where he truly belonged. Once they had pulled apart, he let his eyes sweep over the girl's form, nodding his approval at how much she had grown. While she was only ten, almost eleven years old, she was wiser than her young appearance let on. The fact that she was almost level with his chin, when only a few years ago she had barely reached the middle of his chest, showed her physical growth had caught up with her mind at last. "You've grown up." Nanako smiled and cocked her head to the side, a small blush coloring her cheeks at the compliment.

"She isn't the only one Yu." Yu turned and offered Ryotaro Dojima a nod as he approached the platform before he stopped next to his daughter and held his hand out to his nephew. "It's good to have you back in town, Nanako's been practically running up the walls for weeks." They shared a chuckle, which only grew when the young girl turned around and gave her dad a light punch to his stomach. "Same ol Nanako." Dojima replied before he ruffled his daughter's hair, earning him an annoyed mutter, but they could tell that her heart wasn't in it. The smile on her face said as much, as did the excited gleam in her brown eyes as she looked up to her 'Big Brother'. "So, ready to go?" Ryo asked after turning back to his nephew.

"Yeah." Yu stated firmly before slinging his bag onto his shoulder and following the Dojimas back to their car. Once they were on their way, only then did Yu turn his gaze to the window next to him, lost in thought. So much so, that he missed Nanako's question. "Huh?"

"I said, what do you think?" Looking down, it was Yu's turn to cock his head in curiosity at the brown and black backed cards, with several images of strange monsters imprinted on them. "Dad got them for me! I don't know how to play, but I've been taking lessons from my friends. They're pretty good though." Despite her words, Nanako's smile was infectious since it was clear she didn't mind the defeats she'd no doubt received since starting the game.

"Hahahaha, Nanako's friends, and even a lot of the adults, have been getting into the Duel Monsters game. It seems to have found its stride when some kid named Yugi Moto defeated Seto Kaiba, the head of Kaiba Corp a few weeks ago." Dojima explained, seeing his nephew's nod of understanding in the rearview mirror.

Yu knew about Duel Monsters, but he had never really gotten involved with the game. Like so many other things before he had moved to Inaba, he hadn't really felt the need to get mixed up in the craze, figuring it would disappear in a year or two like most trends did. Instead, it seemed to have only grown more popular, and the fact it had made its way all the way to the small little town said as much. "I'm just surprised it found its way all the way out here." Yu said, chuckling as he gently took his cousin's cards and looked through them. Predictably, they were themed after mystical fairies and angelic beings, which matched Nanako's innocent nature to a tee. Even though the monsters and magic pictures imprinted on the cards reminded Yu of his battles in the Midnight Channel's level of Heaven, created when Nanako had been abducted, none of the emotions associated with that stressful time of his life came with the memories. He had put that behind him, and he was able to hand his cousin's cards back with a nod of his head. "They look pretty good to me Nanako. I'm sure once you've mastered the basics, you'll be unbeatable."

"Really?! You think so Big Bro?!" Nanako asked, excitement filling her eyes as Yu nodded his head again, his smile becoming much bigger as he ruffled her hair, gaining him an amused giggle from the girl next to him. It always warmed his heart to see his cousin so happy, and that thought lead to another as he looked to the front seat a moment later. "Hey, where is everyone? I thought they'd have been at the train station?" Ryotaro just chuckled and shrugged, making Yu narrow his eyes in curiosity at his uncle's sudden tight lipped expression. "Alright, what are they planning this time?"

The elder Dojima only shrugged, while Nanako giggled into her hands at Yu's puzzled expression. "You'll find out soon Yu." Was all Ryo said, the smirk on his face showing just how much he was enjoying keeping his nephew in the dark for once. Yu had a few guesses as to what his friends had in mind, but he'd let his uncle enjoy himself. Besides, if he knew his friends, Yu knew that whatever it was they were planning would no doubt be something to remember.

_It's probably another welcome home party, except this time, since I've finalized my plans, it'll most likely be a bit bigger than their usual schemes._ Looking into the window at his side, Yu once again saw his reflection change as Izanagi's armored face met his gaze. As before, his Persona nodded his head in silent agreement before the reflection changed back to his own face. It wasn't much of a surprise if he knew about it ahead of time, but it was the thought that counted as far as Yu was concerned. Besides, even if they hadn't planned another 'surprise party', he'd still be happy to have them at his side. The kind of bonds they had forged were unbreakable, and more precious because of the trust they had for each other as well as the strength they had within themselves. Even when they were apart, they never forgot each other. The power they had all attained throughout their journey was secondary to the bonds they had made together.

"What's on your mind Yu? You've been unusually quiet since you got back, was the trip that boring?" Ryo asked, having a feeling he knew the answer to his question already. "Still having a hard time with your folks huh?"

"Yeah. But at least they've let me make my own way. Not that they had a lot of choice in the matter." With all the years of abandonment and the constant moving around, he had taken a page out of his own book by standing up for what he believed in, and had told his parents in no uncertain terms that they no longer had any right to his person or his future. He had made it clear he planned to finish school, and with his uncle's blessing, would move in with him and his cousin until he was able to find a place of his own. With every promise he had ever made being kept thus far, even his nearly nonexistent parents knew he wasn't about to yield, having almost been frightened by the strength he had displayed during the worst of their heated arguments.

The detective knew all about it, having gotten several, very angry phone calls from his sister, accusing him of instilling Yu's new rebellious streak. Rebel would have been the last word he'd use to describe Yu, and after hearing his nephew's side of the story after breaking through his otherwise ironclad defenses on the subject, Ryo had agreed with his nephew's decision to move on, much to his sister's surprise. "Well, here's hoping things get better from here on Yu, but I do wish you and my sister could make up at least." Ryo said, but he knew the chances of that were low. It had been an old point of contention between them, which had gotten smaller and smaller after learning the whole truth from both sides. Ryo had been utterly shocked his sister had allowed such a rift to form between her and her only child, but the shock had worn off later that same year.

Yu knew that as hard as it was for Ryo to imagine it, that he had eventually written his parents off as a lost cause, same as him. Still, that didn't make it alright, and his next statement said as much. "I know you tried to get us on speaking terms again Ryo, but that ship has long since sailed. I wish things were different between us, but they are what they are." Yu replied nonchalantly, shrugging his shoulders even as his uncle frowned at him from the front seat. Despite his calm veneer, the look in his gray eyes suggested that he wasn't entirely happy with the situation either, even now, but there really wasn't anything more to say on the matter.

The dark mood evaporated in an instant when they pulled up to the Dojima residence, and the detective's scowl became a small smirk. "Well, here we are. Welcome home Yu."

"Thanks Ryo. Ready Nanako?" The girl nodded her head eagerly before they left the car and walked up to the front door. Yu's dour mood disappeared completely when his uncle opened the door and let him in first. Just as he had suspected, he was greeted quite exuberantly by all of his friends.

"Hey there bro, long time no see!" Yosuke grinned widely, one of the first to rush him the moment he cleared the small hallway that lead to the living room and kitchen space.

"Sensei! You're back!" Teddie pushed the Junes assistant manager aside, much to the young man's annoyance. The former Shadow's grin was ear to ear, his blue eyes sparkling with unbridled joy at having him back in town.

"It's good to see you again Yu." Yukiko said from the kitchen counter, her black eyes burning with her quiet passion and warmth. "You look well." She stated further before being nudged in the side by her best friend, Chie. "Oh right, let me just finish making the rest of our meal." She blushed, earning a chuckle from the martial artist enthusiast next to her.

"Sheesh Yukiko, you're still as predictable as ever." Chie teased, earning her a playful scowl from the raven haired woman next to her. Nanako giggled at their antics as she stepped between her and Yukiko, helping the inn manager finish their meal preparations. "Hey Nana-chan, sorry, better get out of the way of those two. They've become a good team over the last year."

"Indeed." Naoto stated, standing by the glass door next to Kanji, his arms crossed over his chest as the young detective closed the gap between Yu and herself. Her sharp, dark blue eyes sweeping Yu's face before she spoke again, choosing her words carefully. "You look like you've had a rough year."

"I have, but I'm here now, and I'm here to stay." Yu countered before turning to Kanji. "How are you doing Kanji?"

"Doing alright." Kanji replied, chuckling as he turned away from the view outside. "She's right though Senap, you look like crap."

"Gee Kanji, way to point out the obvious." Rise said, just coming down from the second floor before rushing towards Yu's side. Whatever he had been feeling at the constant reminders disappeared the moment he laid eyes on the joyous expression on the pop idol's face. Despite the small crowd, he didn't resist when she pulled him into a tight embrace. "I missed you Yu."

"Same here Rise." Yu replied quietly, unable to suppress the gleam in his eyes, even if he had wanted to as their lips met for a brief kiss before they parted amidst a collection of awkward looks from their friends. "Right, sorry."

"Oh no, don't mind us bro. We'll just eat you out of house and home." Yosuke said, a wide grin on his face until Nanako stepped on his foot on her way by. "Yowch! Sheesh Nana-chan." Hopping on one foot, everyone shared a laugh at Yosuke's expense. Yu watched the same playful antics he had come to expect from everyone with a small smile plastered on his lips. It was good to be surrounded by his friends and family.

It was good to be home.

Thirty minutes of animated conversation and good food had done more for Yu than he could ever express as he laid back against the couch, a contented look on his face as he stared up at the ceiling. Everyone else was in a similar state of rest, patting their bellies in some cases. "Told you they'd been doing good together." Chie said next to Yukiko and Nanako, sitting in front of the small living room table. "These two have made a pretty good team while you've been gone."

"It helps that Big Bro taught me how to cook bigger and better meals since he's been coming back to town every chance he gets." Nanako explained, looking towards Yu with a big smile on her face. "And Big Sis's cooking has gotten much better!"

"Seems you've been a good influence all around Senpai." Rise chuckled, having noticed the embarrassed blush on Yukiko's cheeks from across the living room.

"Indeed, but that is simply Senpai's way. I would expect nothing less. You've done a great deal for us all, so it is only fair we return the favor from time to time." Naoto replied contently, unafraid to lean against the tall blonde behind her, his arms wrapped protectively around her stomach. "Welcoming you home might not be much, but it's a first step in that direction."

"Just being surrounded by everyone is thanks enough." Yu said without hesitation, his small smile having grown considerably at Naoto's words. "I'm thankful for what I have been given and what we've all fought for since we met two and a half years ago. There's no need to do more than what you've done already."

"Aww, you're so beary nice Sensei! I think I'm gonna cry." Teddie wiped at his eyes with the back of his hands, but even with the rivers falling from his big blue eyes, his grin never faltered. "We're the luckiest bunch of grizzlies ever!"

"Can it bear!" Yosuke growled, earning him an amused chuckle from the overly dramatic Shadow. "Still, he is right about one thing Yu. We are pretty damn lucky to have a guy like you around."

"You got that right." Kanji chimed in, throwing Yu a thumbs up from his spot against the window, Naoto merely nodding her head in his direction.

"Big Bro got us to be a family, a real family. I have all of you guys too! And now, he won't have to go away again!" Nanako shouted cheerfully before she had to put a hand to her mouth, a yawn escaping her lips at that moment.

Rise was the first to respond, a mischievous gleam in her eyes. "I think someone stayed up too late listening to my new album." Nanako shook her head and giggled even as she fought to keep her eyes open.

"Come on you, I think it's time you got to bed." Yu said before leading the young girl upstairs, with his uncle two steps behind him. The others wasted no time in wishing Nanako a fond farewell as he and Dojima got her tucked in and sleeping comfortably before they came back downstairs.

"You're a good brother to her, you know that Yu?" Ryo chuckled as he took a spot at the kitchen table before his smile turned into a thin line. "I don't think I've said that enough, but there it is. Don't you guys agree?" A round of cheerful responses followed, and the detective was soon laughing deep from his belly. "Guess I'm not the only one that has you figured out kiddo."

"Hey, that reminds me! Did you guys hear the news?!" Chie clamped a hand over her mouth when she remembered Nanako was asleep upstairs.

"Way to go Chie, why don't you blow a horn in Nana-chan's ear while you're at it." Yosuke hissed as he glared at the tomboy who had taken Nanako's spot on the floor.

"You do tend to get easily excited." Yukiko chimed in, her black eyes twinkling in amusement at her best friend's deepening blush as she tried to regain her composure.

Rubbing the back of her neck, Chie chuckled nervously before she started speaking again. "An-anyway, as I was saying. Apparently some kid beat the reigning world champion at his own game. It was all over the news. I hear there's going to be a big tournament in a couple weeks from now, and the grand prize is three million dollars, plus a shot at taking on Maximilian himself."

"Who's he?" Kanji asked as he blinked owlishly in confusion.

"He is the CEO of Industrial Illusions, and creator of Duel Monsters." Naoto said after looking up towards the group. "He is dramatic and dresses quite gaily, but he is a sharp businessman and he has yet to lose a duel he's played as well. While he's nowhere near as prolific in the arena as Seto Kaiba, he is still a force to be reckoned with. There are some that say he has the power to read minds, but I have not seen enough evidence to support such a rumor. Although…."

"What? Although what?" Yosuke leaned forward, hoping the detective would finish her thought since he hated being left in suspense.

"A few months ago, he took part in a tournament and went up against a man named Bandit Keith. Keith was in the lead, but from what I saw of the duel, he toyed with Keith the entire match. It wasn't until the end of the duel that Pegasus wrote down instructions and called out a young boy from the crowd. This boy, Sam, was able to defeat Keith with ease thanks to Pegasus's instructions. While that is only one example, it does beg the question if Pegasus didn't have outside help, or if there was something else involved." Naoto finished, unsurprised by the stun silence that followed her keen observations.

"If I hadn't heard about that other world and seen for myself some of the strange things that happened two years ago, I wouldn't believe something like that was possible." Dojima said at last, earning a round of nods from those in his home. "But while it's an interesting story Naoto, do you really believe Pegasus was able to read his opponent's mind?"

"You stole the words right out of my mouth Dojima-san." Yosuke replied before turning to the junior detective among them. "Still, gotta ask Naoto, do you believe it's possible? You are the brains of our little group."

"I'm not sure, and because I'm not one for wild speculation, I can only say that I'm not against the idea. On that note, I'd rather see strong evidence before forming an opinion one way or the other." Naoto said in turn before looking at the watch on her arm. "On that note, I'm afraid I must go. I have a new investigation I must return to."

"I'll see ya home Naoto." Kanji stated, his tone brooking no argument from the girl in front of him. "See ya guys, Nana-chan!" Shouting over his shoulder, Naoto and the bleach blonde left the small house, the sound of everyone bidding them a good night following them out.

"I think we all need to think about heading out. I have to help my mother at the inn in the morning." Yukiko explained as she and Chie stood and headed for the door. "See you later guys." It wasn't long before only Yu, Dojima, and Rise remained, and Ryo had to leave for work shortly after Yosuke and Teddie left for the night.

That left only Rise, a sleeping Nanako, and a tired but content Yu behind as he dragged his stuff upstairs with the pop idol's help. It didn't take long for her to take advantage of everyone's absence to pick his brain. "So why did you seem so down earlier Yu? I get the feeling there's more to it than you've let on."

Yu stopped and looked over his shoulder before he set down the box he had in his arms. He knew he couldn't lie to her. Even without her powerful Persona, Kanzeon, her powers of perception were on par with Naoto's, or his own. While the young detective had her analytical mind behind her to absorb the smallest of details, Rise was far more attune with people's feelings, despite her own over the top reactions to certain situations. He couldn't suppress the small smile on his face, glad he had decided to reciprocate her feelings as he turned to her, having taken a spot against his bedroom wall. "It's true, my year has been rough due to the fights I've had with my parents, but that hasn't been so central in my thoughts lately." Yu explained, wondering how he could explain what was on his mind. "I just get the feeling something's coming. It started shortly after I left Inaba last year."

"And this feeling has only grown worse since?" Yu nodded at Rise's question, but before he could say anything else, she wrapped her arms around his back and leaned her head against his chest. "Whatever might be coming, we'll face it together Yu. We'll come out on top, just like we did two years ago." Yu only nodded his head as he returned her embrace, hoping she was right.

It wasn't long before everything was unpacked and back where it belonged, and with one last kiss between them, Rise was gone as well. All that remained was to unroll his futon and get some sleep himself, and that was exactly what Yu did.

**(BGM. Persona 4; The Poem for Everyone's Souls.)**

The only problem was that he didn't stay asleep.

Opening his eyes, Yu sighed heavily when he recognized the all too familiar, quiet hum of the car's engine. Without even looking at the interior of the limo, or the two at the other end of said limo, he knew where he was as he stared across the small table situated between them. "Igor and Margaret." Yu stated, nodding his head to the impossibly long nosed older gentleman in his black suit, and the equally well dressed platinum blonde that sat on his right side. "I'm not surprised you called me here. So is it true then, is there another catastrophe coming?"

"Very perceptive of you, my young friend." Igor chuckled into his folded hands as he looked up at the young man in front of him. "My but it has been quite some time since we've talked. You've matured quite nicely Yu Narukami. But enough pleasantries, as you have stated already, there is another catastrophe coming, and the power of the Wild Card will not be enough on its own this time."

"Then why bring me here?" Yu asked, knowing that if Igor summoned him, then there was a way to beat whatever enemy was coming. That was the thing with Igor, he never revealed himself unless he was certain of his guests' eventual success. He had told Yu of the danger well before it had revealed itself two years ago, and it seemed he was doing it again. His journey would not doubt be another arduous one, but Yu was confident he'd be alright. There was no way he'd back down if the world was in danger again.

"What do you know of Duel Monsters?" Margaret asked, gaining the silver haired man's attention immediately as she leveled her eyes on him.

"Only the bare basics, but my cousin Nanako has a deck. Why? Is there some connection between the game and whatever feeling of unease I've been picking up on?" Yu asked, earning a nod from both of the Velvet Room residents.

Igor chuckled again as he nodded his head ever so slightly before waving his right hand, a deck of blue Tarot cards appearing on the table between them. "Indeed. However, as you are now, your power won't be able to help you against the new enemy that has begun to rear its head. But as you are aware, you are of the Wild Card, and you have awakened to your true potential as a Persona user. All you need do now, is simply adapt that power to face this new threat."

"And to do that, I need a deck, don't I?" Again, Igor nodded his head as Margaret pulled a deck from her blue vest and set it on the table. Looking through them, Yu noticed that the cards were completely blank. At his curious expression, Igor merely waved one white gloved hand.

"When the time is right, they shall reveal their power to you. The power of the Wild Card will not fail you, so long as you remain true to yourself, but I don't see that being a problem for you." Igor chuckled again before disappearing, leaving him and Margaret alone.

For the longest time, Margaret didn't say a word as her mask fell away, showing her true colors as her lips lifted into a small smile at seeing him again. "I have missed our talks and the tasks I set before you Yu. Our services are yours, as always, but I hope you come here just to talk like we used to. Good luck, Yu Narukami."

"Thanks Margaret, it looks like I'm going to need all the luck I can get." Yu replied softly, before his vision started to fade and he was allowed the rest of the night without further interruptions.

_Ending Notes; It begins. Igor and Margaret have armed Yu with a deck, but their power has yet to be revealed. Sound familiar? :P Joking aside, I actually need a good first opponent, to draw someone's all seeing Eye towards him as well as ol Yugi boy. (Evil grin.) I have a few ideas, but I thought I'd let you folks decide._

_As for why I chose to go Duelist Kingdom arc, I need the practice in setting up the duels, and this is bare basics level. It's only in Season 2, or the Battle City arc, that the rules are clearly defined and established, but it's also where things get more complicated. So starting out small for now seemed appropriate. Don't worry, I won't rewrite the entire history by any means if you're a traditionalist, but neither will I stick right to the script either. This is a crossover after all._


	3. Getting Back in the Groove

**Author's Notes;** To those who have mentioned it, no I haven't played Persona 4; Golden, I have however seen most of it on a youtube walkthrough. The only good walkthrough I was able to find isn't complete however, and last I checked, the one doing the game hasn't reached Adachi yet if I remember correctly, but they've done an amazing job thus far. I've seen the new Bike skills, the band they put together, and everything else thus far, so I'm not a complete newbie when it comes to the Golden edition lol. On that note however, I am far more familiar with the old version, but I will try to include what I can from Golden if it makes you guys happy. D Anyway, on with the story!

The next morning had Yu being woken up by the patter of little feet as Nanako ran down the hallway. He chuckled quietly to himself, having grown used to being back in his uncle's house already. Nanako always ran to the bathroom first thing in the morning and went through the routine of cleaning up and brushing her teeth. Say what you wanted about kids, Nanako was and had always been the exception.

Stretching his back when he stood up, Yu looked to the stack of boxes still left in his room and nodded his head in silent determination. Halfway through unpacking his belongings, he heard a knock on his door. "Big Bro? Are you up?" His small smile grew when he looked to the door and opened it, seeing Nanako was wide awake and practically bouncing on the balls of her feet. "Oh, are you unpacking? Do you want help?"

"Sure Nana-chan, I'd be happy to have you lend a hand." Yu replied before reaching up for one of his smaller boxes and laying it down on the floor. Nanako rushed over with a cheer and set to work. The box he had taken down had his small collection of books he had brought with him, and with Rise's help the night before, the shelf he had brought with him was already set up. "It doesn't matter the order Nanako, I'll probably organize it later." He said before she could ask, smiling at her when she nodded her head in determination. "So, how was school this year?" Yu asked, hoping to fill the silence with conversation. It was partly from a desire to distract himself from what laid before him and his friends this time, but mostly because he honestly wanted to know.

"It was good!" Nanako replied, missing the thoughtful look on her 'Big Brother's' face as she continued to shelve his books while he unpacked a box of his clothes and put them into the dresser nearby. "I've made a lot of new friends, and I learned a lot too! We went on a field trip just a few weeks ago. We went to the city, and saw the sights, it was fun! But I wish you could have went with us Big Bro."

"I went a couple years ago, but we only went to the local high school. Still, it was alright." Yu replied as he stood and went to the last of the boxes, finding his arts and crafts collection that he had forgotten about in his mad rush to get ready for his trip back to Inaba. "Hmm."

"What's that Big Bro? Oh, is that the stuff you made those cute little origami animals with?" She asked, and when Yu nodded, she looked to the box of supplies he set on the table that they had set up together. "Can you show me how to make origami?"

"Sure, it'll be something to look forward to Nanako. We can make a day of it." Yu wasn't surprised when the young girl nodded her head excitedly, looking forward to the plans they had made.

It wasn't until Yu's phone went off that he realized they had been folding bright colored paper into cute animals for the last hour. Nanako was pretty good, and the small collection of folded critters in front of her said as much. "Yu here. Oh hey Yosuke. I was just unpacking, and was hanging out with Nanako. Huh, sure we can come." It wasn't even a question in Yu's mind about bringing Nanako along to Junes as he turned to his cousin. "Hey Nanako, is everything done around the house?"

"Huh? Yeah, I just have to bring in the laundry, but we can go after that." The girl replied, running off to take care of the last of her chores just as her father came upstairs.

"Oh there you are. Hey where you going?" Ryo rubbed the back of his neck in confusion until he turned and saw the stuff on Yu's table. His confusion gave way to a small smile when he saw what they had been up to. "Not even a day here and you've already got her making origami. What are you going to do for the rest of the summer?" Dojima asked, his lips uplifting into a grin as he stared at his nephew, his arms crossed over his chest.

"I'm not sure, but I'm sure we'll think of something." Yu said, chuckling at the teasing look in his uncle's eyes.

"Well, whatever you do, I'm sure it'll be alright. But if you plan to go out, just make sure you lock up. Anyway, I gotta run, but I should be back tonight. See ya." Ryo said as he waved over his shoulder before walking out the door, but not before saying goodbye to his daughter. It was only after he left that Yu finally yielded to curiosity and put his hand on his pants pocket.

He sighed when he felt a stack of cards that hadn't been there last night, knowing without a doubt that his visit to the Velvet Room hadn't been merely a dream. Of course, he knew better to question, but a small part of him had hoped it had been anyway. He and his friends had saved the world already, let someone else do the heavy lifting for once. Still, that small part was silenced when he pulled out the cards and looked through them, unsurprised that they were still blank. Their power wasn't required yet, but he knew it'd only be a matter of time before they were needed.

Just as he was gathering up the materials needed for a sandwich, Nanako walked in, a laundry basket held in her arms. She smiled and walked upstairs, a spring in her step as she disappeared. Yu watched her go, still surprised she had grown so much in two years. Her pigtails were back, as were the pink clips she always wore when she tied her hair up. The slender, petite girl's brown hair had grown longer, along with the rest of her, but she still had the same compassionate soul he loved so much. Her brown eyes still shined with her same innocent charm, but he knew she was far stronger than she appeared. Having been raised alone by her father, she had had to grow strong, to compensate for the void left by her dead mother. All that and more had made Nanako into the young girl she was leaving behind, to become a strong, capable young woman. Her journey was far from over, but Yu was sure she'd be just fine.

"Ready to go?" Nanako asked when she came back down, to be greeted with a boxed lunch pack from her Big Brother. She let out an excited gasp, happily surprised to see he was more than ready. "Boxed lunches? Really?! Yay!" Despite her maturity, she was still a kid at heart.

Yu only chuckled but nodded his head, his hand falling on her shoulder as they left the house. His summer vacation had only just started, and despite the impending trouble on the horizon, he was looking forward to spending whatever time he had with his family and friends.

Once they got to Junes, Yu wasn't surprised to find Yosuke, hard at work in the produce aisle. "Hey bro, and hey Nana-chan. How's it going?" He had been too tired to notice yesterday, but Yu was surprised to see Yosuke's headphones were gone. Upon closer investigation though, he saw that they had simply been replaced by a much smaller pair of red earbuds, and the CD player on his hip had been replaced by a much more modern iPod. He'd finally gone digital it seemed, but that wasn't the only thing different about him. His unkempt, fawn colored hair had since been straightened out so that it fell over his shoulders and back, but Yu had a feeling before the day was over, it'd be back to its usual unkempt appearance. And while he was currently wearing his Junes apron, he had foregone the old Yasogami high school uniform, replaced with a black v neck and black pants. All in all, Yosuke was looking pretty sharp for once, no doubt taking his responsibilities as the Junes assistant manager more seriously than he used to back in the day.

"I'm good. Big Bro taught me how to do origami today! See?" Yosuke blinked when Nanako pulled out a small swan made from red paper. "What do you think?"

"It's good. Huh, you have a natural talent Nana-chan." Yosuke replied, nodding his approval when he looked away from the small swan in her hand to her 'Big Brother', a smirk on his face. "The gang's in the Food Court, just like always Yu. I'll be up there in a bit, gotta help restock a few shelves, but after that I have a break for a while. See ya!"

"See ya Yu, ready Nanako?" Nanako nodded her head again, smiling the whole way as they boarded the elevator and headed for the roof. It wasn't until the doors closed that Yu noticed her smile had disappeared.

Before he could ask what was on her mind, Nanako beat him to it. "It hasn't been the same without you, Big Brother. Everyone's been busy with their lives, but despite that, they've still tried to make time for me and daddy. Still, I missed you, Big Bro, I missed all the time we spent together. Because of you, we're a family again."

"Nanako…." Yu couldn't find anything to say to that as the doors opened, but he didn't have to as Nanako hugged him. He could only smile and return the favor with one arm, smiling down at his cousin in a new light. Just when he thought he knew everything about her, she turned around and surprised him.

Looking towards their usual table, he saw that most of the group had already assembled. They hadn't noticed the scene playing out between them, and it was over when Nanako ran towards the table, the spring back in her step. Yu watched her go, glad to see the sadness had disappeared from her face again. That emotion had no place with her as far as he was concerned.

"Sensei!" Teddie shouted, waving his bear costume arms around rapidly from his ice cream stand he was behind at that moment. "Hey everyone, Sensei and Nana-chan are here!"

"Yeah, we know, stupid bear!" Kanji growled, but the grin on his face said something else altogether as he adjusted his glasses so that they were perched close to his face. Yu chuckled, expecting nothing less from their 'bad boy', who was anything but once you got past the tough exterior. "Hey Nana-chan, how ya doing?"

"I'm good now that I'm here!" Nanako exclaimed, sitting down next to Yu and Rise, who were across from Yukiko and Chie. Kanji and Naoto were at the far end of the table, leaving Yosuke and Teddie's spots empty for now. "Oh, big bro was teaching me how to make origami today. Yosuke said I had natural talent when I showed him one of the swans I made with his help."

"Cool! Can we see Nana-chan?" Chie asked, and Nanako nodded her head excitedly, digging out the folded piece of paper before setting it down in the middle of the table. "Whoa, you did that this morning? You're awesome Nanako."

"Not too bad kiddo. Might have to take lessons from you." Kanji said next, his customary grin in place as he picked up the paper swan and pulled on the tail, making the wings flap when he did. "Heh. Guess I ain't the only one into the cutesy stuff."

"You stole the words right out of my mouth Kanji." Rise replied before turning to Yu next. "I think it's pretty nice you teaching your 'little sister' one of your favorite hobbies Senpai." Yu blushed but managed to maintain his cool at his girlfriend's praise, even when she leaned against him. "I knew I fell in love with you for a reason." She teased, although he wasn't entirely sure she wasn't being partially serious at the same time.

"Thanks! I had help, but I did most of the folds after I got the hang of it. It's not that hard! It just takes patience." She replied firmly with a determined nod of her head.

"It's good to see that you have taken to passing along your skills Senpai." Naoto stated quietly, but her voice still drew everyone's attention to her. "You might not be truly brother and sister, but the bond you share makes that a moot point. You're closer than most blood related siblings I've ever seen, and besides, I can't imagine you being any other way from what I've seen of you for myself over the course of your life here. Whether your presence here was mere coincidence or not, I'm glad to have met you Senpai."

Everyone agreed with Naoto, but the festivities were interrupted when someone produced a game board. "Huh, what's this?" Yu asked, looking at the rectangles that were lined up across the board. They looked about the same size as the cards he had in his back pocket.

"It's a Duel Monsters game board! Rise, you play too?!" Nanako asked excitedly, getting a nod from the pop idol next to her. "Can you show me how to play?"

"Sure Nanako-chan. Let's see what you have first." Nanako dug out her deck and Rise looked through it, her brown eyes lighting up in recognition at the theme the young Dojima had gone for. "These are all Fairy and Spellcasters. I guess I shouldn't be surprised, since you're such a sweet girl and all Nanako-chan." Rise beamed down at the girl, who blushed but nodded her head again, her own eyes lighting up in admiration from the woman's praise. "I'm guessing you went for cute over any potential strategy, but that's alright. I see a lot of potential here anyway. Fairy themed decks are pretty tough to beat if played right."

"Really?!"

"Yep. Take Kuribon for example. Play it right, and you have a shield against attacks from one monster. The only downside is that the attacking monster gives life points back to the controller for the difference." Rise explained, surprising the whole group by her knowledge of the game. "Oh, I forgot to tell you, the reason why I know so much is because I've been doing an announcer gig between my Risette performances. It was suggested I learn the game so I can do a better job, but I put together my own deck since it's a pretty fun game."

"I thought I heard your voice when the local tournament was being announced on the news the other day, but I forgot all about it in the excitement of Yu's big return party." Yukiko explained, appearing thoughtful as she looked at the singer across from her. "When's the tournament, maybe we can see what all the fuss is about."

"It's in two days time. Entry is free, and the winner gets a cash reward, but the big prize is a chance to be chosen for the Duelist Kingdom tournament." Rise explained before looking at Yu a little too quickly for his liking. "Say, I bet you'd mop the floor with the competition Senpai. If you duel as well as you fought in the Midnight Channel, I bet you'd be unbeatable in the tournament."

"I'd say your chances of winning would be quite good in that regard Senpai." Naoto agreed, while Kanji nodded his head.

"Now hold on a minute. I don't even have a deck." _Yet._ He kept that last part to himself.

"Well, if you want to watch me and Nanako go a few rounds, maybe you'll get some insights into how the game works Senpai." Rise offered as she and Nakao took up spots on either side of the game board, while everyone else got situated around them. "Having a theme is important, an archetype that fits your personality, some say your very soul. I'm not sure I buy into that part, but when I put my Songstress deck together, it felt right to me. For example, say hello to this little number!" Rise threw down a card, turned sideways across one of the rectangles on her side of the board. It depicted a woman dressed in an orange strapless dress with a mic held between her hands, frozen with one eye shut in a flirty wink. "**Orange Songstress, Ballabile, in Defense Mode! **Normally I'd play her in face down defense position, but for the purpose of showing you how to play, I put her face up. See the numbers and the symbols on the card? That tells you what type, element, and how strong the card is. The stars determine the level, while the numbers determine how much attack and defense power it has."

"And because it has 2000 Defense points, it's a good monster to have out to protect yourself." Nanako replied, earning her a nod from Rise.

"Yep. Before I'm done, I think I'll throw down a face down and end my turn. The first turn doesn't have an attack phase, but after that, the gloves come off. Alright Nanako, let's see what you got." Rise's smile was infectious, and Nanako nodded her head in determination again as she looked at the cards in her hands. "The card I put down was a magic card. They come in two types, Trap and Spells. Traps can do quite a bit of damage, from taking away life points to destroying the entire field in a single move. Spells typically protect you, allowing you to revive monsters, sometimes at a cost, and to empower your forces."

"Like our Personas." Yu stated softly, but those three simple words had Rise, as well as most of the others, riveted to their seats, missing the play Nanako made.

"Wow, I never thought of it that way. Huh, you're right Yu. Oh, you moved." Rise said when the shock had worn off from her boyfriend's deep insight into the game and their own power.

"Yep. I put a monster face down, and I put two magic cards face down as well." Nanako replied, smiling widely.

"In order to play certain cards, you have to put them down first, or Set them in advance. Traps normally fall into this category, but some cards can be played right from the hand." Rise continued as she flipped over her face down card, revealing a Trap that forced Nanako to put her summoned monster back into her hand, while taking Life Point damage at the same time.

And so it went, Rise offering bits of advice as the duel progressed. The more Yu heard, the more he understood, as did his little cousin, who it turned out was a little better than appearances suggested. Under Rise's guidance, she was able to improve her game by the end of the fifth round, and came close to knocking Rise down a peg, as well as ruin her winning streak she had earned thus far. Just as the singer had said earlier, Nanako's Fairy deck had more power behind it than everyone had initially thought.

Despite everyone rooting for her, the duel came to a close with Rise still coming out on top. "Oh well, maybe next time Nanako-chan." Rise offered her hand, and Nanako shook it firmly, smiling from ear to ear.

"Yep! Thanks for showing me how to play better Rise!" She exclaimed, earning light hearted chuckles and applause from those gathered.

_And thanks for showing me why I have these cards._ Yu silently mused, having observed every duel played with a critical eye for the rules and types of cards involved. They were similar to Personas, in that every card supported the others in some way or another, even when the entire field was swept clean by a well played card. There were strategies within strategies, elements of the game that while he had only seen the tip of the iceberg, encouraged Yu to learn all he could. If what Igor had foreseen came to pass, he'd need every trick he could muster, but before that, he'd need to learn how to unlock the power hidden in his own deck. So absorbed in the duels that had been played out in front of him, he never saw the light emanating from his back pocket. It wasn't until he pulled them out in sheer curiosity that he stopped and stared at the cards in his hand.

"Hey, I thought you said you didn't have a deck?!" Rise asked, being the first to notice the deck in his hand until he set it down on the table next to the game board.

"The cards were blank this morning." Yu said as he reluctantly picked up the deck and started flipping through them. "Wait, all of these, are Persona cards!" In his shock, he dropped several of them onto the table.

"It would make sense. You changed Personas all the time." Yukiko said, unable to keep the surprise from her voice as she took one of the cards that Yu had accidentally dropped when the realization had hit home. "This is-"

"Whoa, that's yours Yukiko!" Chie shouted, holding up Konohana Sakuya, her original Priestess Arcana Persona. "Is Tomoe in there too?!"

"Looks like it." Yu said, turning the card over in between his pointer and index finger, revealing the yellow armored warrior to the tomboy.

Yosuke had returned during the third duel, and grabbed the deck off the table before he started flipping through them himself. "Here's Izanagi, and Megatsu Izanagi. They're all here, every single one of our Personas. There's a few regular magic cards in here, but some of these are right out of our magic skills. Damn, why does Teddie get such a kick butt magic card?!" Yosuke shouted when he revealed Kamui Miracle to the group.

"At least your Ultimate Arcana Persona's in here Yosuke." Naoto stated when the deck was passed to her and Kanji. "As is mine, and Kanji's. It would seem you have a piece of all of us in your deck Narukami. I find that appropriate as well. I can only assume there's a reason you have these now." Yu nodded reluctantly, hoping to have figured out why he had the deck before he told his friends about it. "What haven't you been telling us Yu?"

Seeing no way out as his friends turned their gazes on him, Yu sighed and told them everything he knew for sure, which wasn't much. The rest was merely speculation, but he included that as well in his explanation. When he was done, Yu knew from the looks on his friends' faces, that he should have been straight up from the start. "I can see why you didn't want to say anything, but you should have known we'd have stood beside you stupid." Yosuke said, making Yu chuckle despite the worry that had been eating at him.

"I know, but I had hoped I was wrong. Still, whether or not something comes out of this new development, I'm sure we'll be able to pull through." Yu finally said, feeling better than he had in a long time. He still worried for their safety, but it seemed that his friends hadn't forgotten the strength they all had after all.

"You dumbass, of course we'll pull through, we always do!" Kanji shouted, slamming his right fist into his open left hand.

"We took on Namatame's corrupted Persona, Adachi and his Reapers, Amenani Sagori, and Izanami, the Goddess of the Underworld. However, given your reluctance to reveal this to us, I can only assume you thought we had forgotten what brought us together in the first place. I hope we've proven you wrong Yu." Naoto stated, and Yu nodded, this time without any hesitation. "The fact you feared for our well being just proves my earlier point. Even so, have more faith in us to stand together when the chips are down."

"I won't forget it again, I promise." Maybe, whatever was coming, they'd be able to see it through after all. Together.

**Ending Notes;** The duel I put in here was a small one, showing the basics of Duel Monsters, and the bare basics at that. That and the decks I have from Minaly aren't complete, so I couldn't do much more than what I did at the moment. Still, the duels later will hopefully be more complete, with actual Life Point scores and all that junk. D For now, hope this chapter will tide you rabid fans over for now lol. On that particular note, if anyone wants to send me decks for any potential non canon opponents, that'd be totally awesome, and it'd take the pressure off Minaly who's been doing all the hard work lol. At any rate, adios!


	4. Set the Field! Inaba Regionals, Part 1

**Author's Notes;** I apologize for messing up a few minor names and such in the last chapter, as one of my reviewers pointed out. Still, I am glad you guys and gals are enjoying the story thus far. I'm still having trouble completing decks even with Minaly's help, but I'll do the best I can with what I know. These first few duels aren't going to be much of a challenge, but there's one I'd pay attention to. You'll see why soon enough, either in this part or the next. D Adios!

As a quick side note, I have seen bits and pieces of Arena, but none of the Ultimate Suplex version of Persona Arena. So again, if I can, I'll try to add what I do know. Anyway, on with the duels!

The two days he had to prepare came and went entirely too fast, but Yu was fairly confident that he could manage to win at least a couple duels if nothing else. Dressing in his best black jacket and gray undershirt, along with a pair of black jean pants, Yu looked at the new dueling belt that Rise had bought for him just yesterday. It had multiple pouches for multiple decks, but he only had the one. Even so, the similarly black leather belt was a nice addition to his outfit, and he cinched it tight, admiring the buckle she had added to it.

It was made from silver, and a single zero resided in the center of the buckle, as if it were an eye about to open wide. The buckle itself was polished until it shined, but the metal was a dull gray. _Gray, like the number zero, empty, but holding limitless potential._ The thought made Yu smile as he pulled his cellphone out of his pocket and checked the time. He had an hour yet, but he wasn't about to be late for his first duelling tournament.

"Ready Big Bro?!" Nanako asked, excitement practically radiating off of her as she hopped from foot to foot, turning away from the bacon and eggs she had been preparing when she heard him come downstairs.

"Yeah, about as ready as I'll ever be I think. What about you, are you planning to sit with the rest of the guys?" Yu asked as he grabbed a plate from above the sink, just as Nanako moved away from the small stove, the pan she had been using held aloft with one mitten covered hand until she put it on the table.

"Nope, I want to enter!" Yu was surprised by that as he stopped in mid step, amazed by Nanako's willingness to attend an event that would no doubt be aired on television, as well as gather a large crowd in the arena itself. He'd have thought she'd be frightened by the mere idea of being in front of thousands of people, but it seemed he was wrong. "You're going to be there, and where you go, I want to go too! Besides, I've gotten a lot better thanks to Rise's lessons. I might even make it to the finals!"

"You know what Nanako, I honestly hope you do." Yu said, his gray eyes full of pride for his little cousin. If they had to duel each other, then he'd cross that bridge when and if they came to it, but for now, he was content to relax until it was time to go. Besides, Igor didn't say how he was supposed to stop whatever was coming, he only said that he had to do it. If that meant losing to Nanako, he could think of worse ways to draw the enemy's attention. Not that he'd throw the match for her sake, but the thought had still crossed his mind. However, with that thought in mind, he dug out his phone, took his plate of bacon and eggs, and went up to his room. "I'll be right down Nanako, I just forgot to check something."

"Oh, alright. Oh, does your bike have gas in it? We have a spare tank in the garage." Nanako explained as she sat down to eat her own breakfast.

"I think so, but if you can, top her off for me Nanako." Yu said, and even with his thoughts elsewhere, he couldn't help but smile at her excited cheer. He had promised to take her on his motorcycle yesterday night, and with the tournament today, it was all she could do to hold still. With the new dueling arena that had been constructed on the edge of town, they'd just make it on time if they left within the next half hour.

Once he was in his room, Yu put his plate down on the table and sat down on his couch before opening up his speed dial menu on his phone. While he trusted his friends to step in if anything strange happened, he wasn't about to leave anything to chance. Besides, after fighting them in that messed up tournament ran by 'General Teddie' and the shadowy entity that had been behind it all, Yu was confident they were up for the task. Hitting the key on his phone, Yu took a bite of his food while he waited for the person on the other end to pick up.

When she did, Yu breathed a little easier. "I had a feeling you'd call Mr. Narukami." Mitsuru Kirijo said after picking up on the second ring. "What do you need?"

"What gave you the idea that I called to get a favor from you?" Yu asked, knowing that was a mistake when he heard an amused sound from the leader of S.E.E.S. Considering she and her own team had cleaned house in the Arena, until they had came up against him and a few of his own friends, he should have known better than to try and play dumb with her.

She proved that with the next words she uttered without a moment of thought. It also became painfully obvious that she had been paying attention to current events. Not only that, but it became clear that she had also been keeping tabs on him. "You're about to enter a Duel Monsters tournament, when previously you had no interest in the game whatsoever. Rise Kujikawa is working as an announcer, and if I know anything about your familial relationships, your cousin has no doubt also displayed an interest in following you into this recent endeavor. The only reason you'd call is to have additional backup should something come up." Leader of S.E.E.S and of the Kirijo Group, one, Yu Narukami, zero. He could only sigh when he realized the depth of his mistake in trying to act natural with her.

Instead, Yu changed tactics, hoping to placate the woman that could change his mind about allowing Nanako anywhere near a dueling arena for the foreseeable future. "I had hoped to talk to you outside of anything life threatening, but that seems to have changed. You're right, Nanako has displayed an interest in joining the regionals here in Inaba. I trust my friends to do what they can to protect her and the crowd, but if something comes up, I'd rather have all of my bases covered. Since your reveal during the 'tournament' last year, and our involvement with freeing Labrys, and stopping the source of all of the recent trouble, I had hoped you'd be willing to send whoever you could to watch out for anything unusual."

"I had already planned on it Yu." Mitsuru stated, surprising Yu as she freely admitted her plans to get involved. "We have our own way of detecting an increase in Shadow activity that doesn't involve an old man and his assistant, among other things. There's been a large number of Shadows appearing in a new Dark Hour, however, with our current forces, we've been able to keep cases of Apathy Syndrome down to virtually non existent levels. However, the enemy has been steadily growing in strength, which leads us to believe something else is coming, and the closer to the tournament it becomes."

"The more powerful the Shadows become. So there _is _a connection." Yu sighed heavily as he rubbed at his temples with his free hand. "All the more reason to stop Nanako from getting involved."

"That's where you're wrong." Mitsuru stated firmly, stopping Yu in his tracks as he started to get up from the couch. "She has already gotten involved when Namatame kidnapped her two years ago. I know how deeply you care for her Yu, but she must be allowed a chance to come to terms with it all in her own way. I know that while she wasn't touched during our fight in the Arena, she is far from dumb. Ask her, and I imagine she'll surprise you about how much she truly knows. Besides, you assume I was talking about THIS tournament, when in reality, I was referring to the Duelist Kingdom tournament. Also, you neglected to ask when these events started to unfold."

"Alright, I'll bite, when did all this begin?" Yu asked after he had gotten his head around the fact he had misjudged once again in as many minutes. He was usually smarter than that.

"Mere days after a young boy beat the reigning champion, Seto Kaiba." Mitsuru replied in her usual no nonsense tone.

"Wait, you're talking about Yugi Moto aren't you?!" Yu shouted into his phone, having heard Yugi's name mentioned quite a bit since he himself had signed up for the Inaba Regionals. What respectable Duel Monsters duelist hadn't heard Yugi's name? He was a celebrity after only one duel, and it hadn't even been an official one. Even so, Yu found it suspicious that such a young kid could be involved with Shadows and the Dark Hour, or in his case, the Midnight Channel.

"Yes. Yugi Moto has been the sole reason for Naoto Shirogane's current investigation, hired by me if you're curious. If you wish to know what she has found, I imagine she'll share her findings with you and your group. So far however, we've yet to discover a link between Yugi and the increase in Shadow activity. Until we know more, I would be careful if you encounter Yugi Moto at a later date."

"Right." Yu replied, nodding his head for emphasis even though Mitsuru couldn't see the action.

"I'll be rooting for you in the regionals, Mr. Narukami. Expect your requested backup in the audience at the very least."

"Thank you for the support. When I can, I'll be sure to repay the favor." Yu promised, his tone leaving no question as to the validity of his statement.

"I would expect nothing less from you, holder of the Wild Card." With that, Ms. Kirijo hung up, leaving Yu to hang up his cellphone and put it back in his pants pocket. She had given him a lot to think about, needless to say, and while he was still worried about letting Nanako play in the tournament, Yu also knew that if he had tried to stop her, she most likely would have found her own way there.

On that particular note, he still hadn't eaten, but after talking to Mitsuru, he found he couldn't look at his food without wanting to toss it into the nearest garbage can. Not because it had grown cold, but because his stomach had decided to twist itself into knots. "Ryo's going to kill me if I let her get into this….but Mitsuru's right." With a heavy sigh, Yu picked up his plate and emptied its contents into his waste bin before carrying his empty plate back downstairs. Just because Nanako was wanting to stick her neck into the noose didn't mean he had to let her walk into this blind, and remembering Mitsuru's words, he made it a point to ask her as soon as he was downstairs.

He never got the chance as Nanako greeted him at the door, her helmet already secured and strapped onto her head. "Come on Big Bro, we're gonna be late!" Before he could open his mouth, his little sister was dragging him outside and down the front steps, where his bike waited in the front driveway. "Daddy said he'll met us there, he had to do something at the police station real quick first though. Come on come on!"

"Okay okay, just don't yank my arm off Nanako." Yu managed a small chuckle as he pulled his own helmet off of the handlebars of his bike and put it on his head before hopping on. Once Nanako was securely in place behind him, her hands wrapped around his waist, only then did he take off.

Yosuke and the rest of the team met them on the way there, their own bikes following close behind his own once he passed by the Junes parking lot. "Hey, there ya are Sensei!" Teddie shouted, throwing his arms into the air in obvious excitement, which almost caused Yosuke to crash as the overjoyed Shadow knocked off his already precarious balance. "This is so exciting! Monsters, battling, spells, traps, passion, excitement! It's almost too much for one bear to handle alone!"

"Watch it bear! Are you trying to kill us?!" Yosuke growled as he righted himself at the last possible moment, swerving away from Kanji and Naoto's respective bikes in the process. "Still, gotta admit, this is pretty intense Narukami! The band's been back together for only a few days, and we're already on the prowl! Booyah! And hey Nana-chan, good luck in the tournament today. Hope you brought your best game!"

"I planned on it!" Nanako shouted back in equal excitement, her eyes as big as they were likely to get as Yu looked over his shoulder at her. Despite his misgivings, he couldn't deny her this.

Before he could open his mouth to try and tell her what she might be walking into though, Kanji interrupted him. "Don't worry Senpai, we'll keep her and the crowd covered! And before ya ask, it's all over your face dude."

"Indeed. And I imagine you called Mitsuru Kirijo as well, thus you know of my involvement." Naoto added in, and Yu nodded. "I had assumed as much. I would have done the same if our roles were reversed." She made it a point to look at Nanako, who looked between her and her Big Brother in confusion. "We'll tell you when we get there Nanako-chan."

"Are you talking about that bad place again?" Nanako asked, stunning them all as she looked at Yu's back.

"How do you-"

"I remember...I remember more than you know, and it's not like you kept it a secret Big Brother. You were just talking about it the other day." Nanako replied, stopping Yu in his tracks with ease. "You forgot I was even there, and while I didn't mind since I was with everyone, I still listened to what was said."

"Oh boy. This just got awkward." Chie managed to get out, while Yukiko could only nod dumbly in response.

"No, it's okay, because you just wanted to keep me safe, but you don't have to keep me in the dark either. You got daddy to tell me what happened to mommy, and why he put all of her pictures away. I'm a big girl now, I don't need you to lie to me anymore." Nanako finished with a determined nod of her head, leaving Yu tongue tied for several seconds.

"It would seem we underestimated you again Nanako-chan." Yukiko finally said, breaking the silence that was only interrupted by the hum of their respective motorbikes. "What do you think Yu?"

"I think you're right Yukiko. Alright, from now on, we'll keep you in the loop Nanako, I promise." Yu's voice left no room for argument, and the others agreed as one.

_**CRASH!**_

_I am thou, thou art I! Thou hast strengthened thy old bonds, and hast forged a new one._

_The Heart of the Cards has been awoken!_

Heart of the Cards? It was a phrase he had heard once or twice, but Yu didn't understand it. What he did understand was that at some point, either before she had recovered from her abduction or some time before that, Nanako had become a part of the group. It just hadn't been acknowledged until now. That explained why they had talked about the Midnight Channel around her without even thinking about it at the time. Besides that, Mitsuru was more right than she knew, and Yu was glad to see his friends agreed with his promise to keep Nanako up to speed. It was only right, after everything she had endured.

_Meanwhile…._

"Hey Joey! The tournament's starting!" Yugi shouted over his shoulder, excitement etched on his face as he situated himself between his two best friends, Tea and Tristan. His grandpa was in the kitchen, humming merrily to himself, but that was a distant concern at that moment.

Joey was on the couch in a flash, squeezing in between his best buddy Yugi and Tristan. "Alright, made it just in time! So, who's up Yugi?"

"I don't know, they're just getting to the starting ceremony. The roster hasn't been revealed yet, but from what they showed of the crowd, it looks like it's going to be a good line up. There was one gray haired kid that stood out though." Yugi said as he put a hand under his chin in thought, anxious to see who would be dueling. Not because he had any intention of learning their strategies for future reference, although it was always exciting to see new people come up with new and exciting ways to use their respective decks, but because you could learn quite a bit about people from the way they dueled and treated each other during the matches. And since this was the first official tournament held in a small town called Inaba, Yugi had a feeling that the day's duels would be especially interesting. How he knew that, he couldn't honestly say, but his heart said as much, and it hadn't steered him wrong yet.

_Back in the Inaba Stadium._

Rise was in her element as she took up her spot in the announcer's booth that overlooked the stadium, and the dueling arena that was in the center of the building. Her excitement was just as palpable to Yu, who stood amidst a long line of duelists like himself, with Nanako on his left side. Rise herself was dressed to impress in a black strapless dress that was two parts modest and one part sexy, and everyone's eye was on her as she waved to the crowd in her unique fashion, eliciting a roar of approval from everyone, himself included. Grabbing the mic off of its stand with a flourish, Rise stood up in the booth and struck a pose before she started speaking, her hair flying wildly with the sudden movement. "Alright duel fans, it's time to get your game on! Please allow me, your hostess, Rise Kujikawa, to introduce the people you've all been waiting for, the duelists!" Another loud roar greeted the pop idol's words, and Yu only smiled up at her, and to his surprise, she returned the gesture with a wink thrown in his direction.

"You and her are a couple huh?" The man on his left said, drawing Yu's attention towards him. He couldn't have been younger than thirty years old at least, and Yu saw that he had a white rose sticking out of his green and brown suit and matching tie. Despite the odd choice of clothes, Yu had a bad feeling about the man standing next to him, and Nanako seemed to sense it as well as she took a hesitant step behind him. "I wonder if she'll feel the same way after I turn you into fertilizer."

"Save your threats for the match." Yu calmly countered, crossing his arms in mild annoyance as he met the man's green eyes with his gray, neither of them willing to back down. It wasn't until his name was called that Yu broke eye contact.

The man next to him bowed when his name was added to the roster and announced by Rise about the same time. Sam Tywell it turned out had at least one tournament win under his belt. He'd be a man to watch out for. Deck profiles weren't displayed, just in case someone got it into their head to cheat by stacking their deck between matches.

"Our first duel of the day is between Yu Narukami and a local favorite, Shu Nakajima! Let the dueling commence!" Rise had to shout just to be heard over the roar of the crowd as Yu stepped up onto the waiting red platform while his former student, Shu, took up residence in the blue platform. The moment they were standing in their respective platforms, the motorized lifts kicked in and they were elevated above the arena, giving them a bird's eye view of the action while exposing them to the crowd at the same time. The whole setup had Yu's mind wondering if someone had paid attention to the days of Rome a little too much since the raised platform put them above everyone around them, in more ways than one. The crowd wanted blood, sweat, and tears, and the dueling arena was the perfect way to get it since no human lives were at stake, only digitized copies of monsters created for their enjoyment.

Whatever his thought on the matter, Yu wasted no time in putting his deck on its appropriate place on the game board in front of him, and the sophisticated computer setup read his deck, no doubt preparing the holograms it'd be projecting once the first of his cards were drawn. All of that didn't matter when he saw the surprise on Shu's face.

From the look on the young boy's face, he hadn't expected to see his tutor here of all places. "Narukami?! What are you doing here?!" Despite his surprise, the young student looked up into Yu's face with open admiration. "I never would have imagined you'd be here, and as my first opponent! Because of you, I was able to find something to believe in outside of school and making my mother proud. I found something that made me genuinely happy. Baseball, and now this!"

"I'm glad Shu. And I honestly couldn't imagine a better first opponent. Are you ready to fight with all of you've got?" Yu asked, earning him a shout of approval from the young student across from him. 2000 Life Points were given to both of them, and the lights fell on them in one synchronized motion.

The game was on.

**BGM, Persona 4, Reach Out to the Truth**

"**It's time to duel!**" They and the crowd shouted together as the two opponents drew their first five cards.

"Okay. I put down **Giant Soldier of Stone**, in **defense mode**, and I'll place a card down as well." Shu said before adjusting his rectangular glasses and looked up from the **four **cards in his hand.

"Not a bad opening move Shu." Yu said, admiring the giant stone colossus that now resided on his former student's side of the field. The stone golem had crossed its massive arms over its chest, and had knelt down onto the arena floor after a grand light show erupted underneath the giant monster. It was quite visually stunning, but Yu merely looked over the point total it had attached to its name. With a defense score of **2000 points**, it'd be tough to beat, and with a face down card behind it, Yu didn't know if Shu had put a Spell card, or a Trap card, behind his stone soldier. Either way it'd be a tricky proposition to attack it without taking some kind of precaution.

"Alright. Let's start this off right. I play this card. **Persona! Principality, the Justice**!" **1400 / 1000**. Slapping his chosen card onto the field in front of him, the yellow circle that had accompanied Shu's summoning changed to a light blue as his monster took shape. An angelic being with golden wings, wearing green flowing robes, while the bottom half was covered in a shimmering blue and gold undercovering, and a silver helmet with three long spikes, started to form. He carried a staff with a cross as its head piece, and the Persona at last materialized in front of Yu's side of the field, front and center. "Since he only has 1400 attack points, I'm not about to try and face your soldier in open combat. Instead, I activate his special ability, and destroy your face down magic card! Principality, Holy Arrow!"

With a twirl of his staff, the angelic warrior pointed his weapon at the face down card on Shu's side of the field and unleashed a single white beam of energy on the card. It was destroyed in a blaze of holy fire. "No, my Creature Swap! What kind of card is that Sensei?!" Shu exclaimed in a mixture of surprise and awe, and he wasn't the only one impressed by the unique card Yu had pulled out.

"So, he reveals his power at last." Labrys muttered under her breath as she swept the field with her red eyes, her facial expression unreadable until a small smirk appeared on her pale face. "Not a bad look for the kid. I am curious to see how the student fares when up against such power." Having just arrived, it took the Anti-Shadow Suppression Weapon some time to find who she was supposed to protect, but when she did, Labrys nodded her head and slipped through the cheering fans like a ghost.

Feeling a tap on her shoulder, Nanako looked up and paled visibly when her eyes went up and up until they rested on the tall woman's face. "Hey there Nanako, do ya mind if I sit beside you? Don't worry, your Big Brother asked me to keep ya company." It wasn't a direct lie, but it wasn't a direct truth either. Still, Labrys smiled kindly as she knelt down so she and Nanako were almost at eye level.

"Really?! If my Big Bro knows you, then I don't mind." Nanako replied, her brown eyes lighting up as Labrys gave one of the people behind the competitor's row a glare, causing the kid to move as far as he could from the disguised robotic warrior. The sight made Nanako giggle, having seen Kanji do the same thing on several occasions.

"There we are. All nice and comfy. Good luck out there kiddo." Labrys said once she was situated behind the young girl, giving her a thumbs up for good measure. Nanako gave Labrys a wide smile, determined to do her best. _I get why she's so strong. Yu really is somethin' special._

Elsewhere in the stadium, Ryotaro was watching the match unfold with a mixture of awe and intriguement. "So that's a Persona." Dojima said to himself, having never seen one himself, until that moment. While his nephew and his friends had told him about the other world and the trials they had pushed through, they hadn't been able to show him the source of their strength since, according to them, it only worked in that other place. Now that he had, he finally understood everything fully and completely, and his scowl gave way to a determined veneer. "Come on Yu! I know you can win this!"

Yu meanwhile was preparing to answer Shu's question, having seen Labrys talking to his cousin. He gave her a simple nod of thanks, which she returned with a nod of her own before Yu turned back to his opponent. "It's a Persona. In laymen's terms, a Persona is a 'mask', used to deal with the hardships of day to day life. Everyone has one, mine just take a more literal approach." _If only people knew how true that statement was._ Yu thought as he replied evenly, putting **two cards face down** before nodding his head. He had **three **cards in his hand, but from the few duels he had seen, all it took was one to win when played at the right time.

"A Persona. It's a powerful card, and with your virtually unknown deck, I don't know if I have the cards to beat you, but I'm still gonna give it my all! I draw! And I put a monster face down, in defense mode. I also put another card face down behind that as well." That left Shu with **three cards** in his hand. With **two more cards, a monster and another magic card,** flanking his giant stone soldier, Shu looked towards his opponent and sighed heavily. Despite his words, it seemed Yu had intimidated him already, and he had started to fold under the pressure.

Yu couldn't allow that. Putting his cards on the edge of the playing field, the gray haired young man made it a point to stare at the bespectacled youth. "Shu. Whatever happens here, know that I couldn't be prouder. I know being here can't be easy, not with the whole world watching as well as your mother. But if I know her as well as I know you, then she's no doubt cheering the loudest for you right now." Yu's tone brook no argument as Shu looked up, the fire returning to his eyes as he stood up, straight and proud. Yu's small smile returned as he nodded his approval before adding a card to his hand. Looking at his cards, a plan started to form. "Okay, I summon my next monster. **Persona! Lamia, the Hermit!**" **1400 / 1000**.

A woman from the waist up slithered out of the blue light on Yu's side of the field before laying herself out on top of her green, scaly hide. She was also naked from the waist up, but it was hard to tell since laying down on her snake coils or standing up, she was always covered since her raven black hair fell over her back and chest in voluminous waves. "She also has an effect. Once she's summoned to the field, she can destroy a monster that's level four or lower. Go! Agiloa!" Rearing up much like a king cobra did before it struck, the snake woman hissed menacingly before putting her hands out in front of her. The next moment, Shu's **Giant Soldier of Stone** was consumed in a focused fire spell, shattering the monster into countless pixels as the resulting explosion generated its own small wind storm. "And I still have an attack I can launch, but I'll save that for another time." With **two monsters and two magic cards** on Yu's side of the field, and only a **single monster** on Shu's side, it looked like a one sided duel. With **three cards** in hand, his options looked pretty good, while Shu's were growing slimmer and slimmer with every passing turn.

"I draw….and I put another monster in defense mode." Shu said, building up a defensive wall without anymore backup. That meant his face down was likely a trap that he couldn't use yet.

"It's time to end this Shu." Yu said as he drew a card and nodded his head before adding to his hand. "First, I activate one of my face down cards. **Transmogrification Ritual!**" A pale blue pentagram appeared behind Yu as card silhouettes appeared on several points of the mystical rune floating behind him. "With this card, this duel is about over. I can use this card to summon forth a new power. To do that, I have to sacrifice **Tomoe, the Chariot**, from my hand as well as another from my field or deck, and I choose **Lamia, the Hermit**! Come forth, **Persona! Suzuka Gongen, the Ultimate Chariot!**" **2500 / 2000**

Stretching his arms out wide, Yu closed his empty fist in front of his face, and the two cards he had used appeared on the pentagram before fusing into one, dead center of the arcane symbol which flared brightly as the power changed and transmogrified his monsters into an all new form.

"No way! He can fuse here too?!" Chie shouted and stood to her feet, her eyes wide as saucers at the monster that pushed her way out of the pentagram and landed beside Yu's other monster. She was a samurai dressed entirely in silver armor. Carrying a double bladed naginata, Suzuka Gongen spun it around her in a deadly yet graceful dance before she stopped and held it behind her back.

Principality nodded his head to his companion, as if giving respect and deference to his far more powerful superior who now stood beside him. "This is so awesome! Get him Yu! Kick his monsters into next week!"

As if hearing her mistress's words, Suzuka Gongen looked towards Chie and held her double bladed staff weapon before her. No one else seemed to notice the action as the tomboy blinked in surprise. _I shall not let you down, Chie-san._ The silver armored warrior said before turning back to the assembled monsters in front of her.

"I know you won't." Chie whispered to herself as she turned to Yukiko, who nodded her head, her own eyes alight with wonder. She didn't have to ask if the inn manager had seen what she had seen. Their silent exchange had been all the answer Chie needed.

"I'm almost afraid to ask what she can do." Shu stated before drawing his last card. He sighed but looked up at Yu, knowing that he couldn't pull out a win with what he had. "Take me down Sensei. I know when I'm defeated."

"Alright. I only hope that you've learned something from this Shu." Yu stated as he drew his last card before turning to his two monsters. "First, I activate the Spell Card, **Heat Riser**, and use it on Suzuka Gongen!" A white light surrounded the female samurai, giving her a boost to her attack and defensive scores. **5000 / 4000**. "Next, I activate the trap card, **A Downed Enemy!** With this, if she's able to destroy one monster, then she can attack again. And with the special effect that comes with Suzuka Gongen, it allows her to do Piercing Damage, meaning even though your monsters are in defense mode, you still take damage. Suzuka Gongen, Agneystra**!**"

Shu had to cover his face when Suzuka Gongen started to glow brightly from head to foot before she jumped into the midst of his defensive wall, her naginata spinning in every direction. Every creature on his side was sliced apart like rice paper before disintegrating into pixelated dust particles. With every attack, his life points dropped like a stone until his readout hit zero. Looking up into the warrior's face, Shu could have swore she was looking down at him in respect for standing his ground, even if it hadn't been enough before disappearing, the game having come to an end when he had ran out of life points.

"And what a spectacular win by Yu Narukami!" Rise was barely heard through the clamor of the crowd as Yu and Shu's platforms were lowered to the ground. The two duelists met in front of the stadium and shook the other's hand firmly, meeting the other's gaze in a show of respect and admiration for the other's skill. "And with that, the next duel is about to commence after this ten minute break! Be ready by then folks, this tournament is only just beginning!"

**Ending Notes;** I'm not entirely happy with how the duel wound up going because I had a hell of a time trying to figure out what Shu's monsters should be and everything, but as for the chapter itself, I am very happy with that. It's not the best one I've ever written, but it's certainly not the worst. This duel business is harder than it looks lol. Still, reviews are always welcome, but beyond that, if anyone can guess what's going to happen, bonus points to you lol. As for the duel itself, hopefully those turn out better in the future.

Nanako's current deck list. (Will most likely only get two to three duels max so not to worried about it just yet.)

Monsters

Watapon

Airknight Parshafh

Kuribon

Marshmallon

Fairy Archer

Honest

Absorbing Kid from the Sky

Spirit of the Breeze

Shining Angel

Nova Summoner

Gellenduo

Dancing Fairy

Archlord Kristya

Winged Kuriboh lv9

Winged Kuriboh lv10

Spells and Traps. (Haven't had a chance to look them over.)

Valhalla, Hall of the Fallen

Photon Lead

Cards from the Sky

Constellar Belt

The flute of summoning kuriboh

Berserker Crush (kuriboh lv9)

Transcendent Wing (kuriboh lv10)

Waboku

Change of Heart

Silver Bow and Arrow


	5. Birds of a Feather IR, Part 2

**Author's Notes;** While I'm still not happy with how I did that last duel, hopefully this one won't be so overkill lol. I guess I had it in my head that Shu pulled out a bunch of high level defense monsters such as Millennium Golem, Big Shield Gardna, and others like them, so Yu needed to hit them with everything he had to make sure he got through. While I know I didn't describe that part as such, by the time I got to that point, my brain was fried. That's my own fault though, and hopefully I've learned my lesson not to rush these lol. At any rate, I am glad you guys enjoyed the show regardless of my own stupidity. Anyway, on with the duels!

P.S. If you can guess what's coming just from the chapter title, my hat's off to you for knowing your Persona. Hehe. Adios!

"Whoa! What kind of monster was that thing?!" Joey shouted and pointed at Yugi's TV, his mouth open wide enough to run a bus through. "You ever hear of a Persona watcha callit?!"

"No, it's the first I've seen a card like that before! It was amazingly powerful though!" Yugi replied, his purple eyes about as wide as his best friend's mouth had been a moment ago.

"I think it was kinda pretty. Suzuka Gongen moved with a grace of a dancer, yet she struck like her namesake suggested." Tea was just as riveted to the action as the rest of them, and she let out a sigh of disappointment when the Persona of the Chariot disappeared, along with the rest of the monsters the winner had summoned. "At least that Yu guy has a good heart behind him. Look at him, shaking hands with his opponent as if neither of them had lost."

"He's a cool guy, kinda like you Yugi." Tristan chimed in, nodding his head in agreement with Tea's assessment. "I bet he'd even be a match for you."

"You think so Tristan? I wouldn't mind seeing those Personas of his up close. I guess it goes to show I'm not as knowledgeable about the game as I thought if I've never heard of a deck like his, but that's alright." Yugi replied, lost in thought as his mind raced with the possibilities. Yu Narukami, he'd look for him in the duel circuit if he ever came across the sea.

"Well I say bring him on! With your grandpa's lessons, I'd totally cream those monsters of his!" Joey shouted, and then immediately paled when a shadow fell over him from behind the couch. Turning towards the figure behind them, Joey about fell off the couch when he saw his words had summoned Solomon Moto, Yugi's grandfather. "Ah boy. Hey Gramps….what's up?"

"Joseph, it's time for your lesson. Quit slacking and pick up your deck!" The old man seemed almost giddy by the thought of putting Joey through his paces, and Joey paled at the thought of how hard Solomon would run him before the day was over. On the other hand, Solomon couldn't stop his smile of approval as Joey sighed in defeat, knowing there was no way out of his promise to do everything the old man asked if he wanted to become a better duelist.

Once he and Joey disappeared to another part of the house, Yugi was brought out of his thoughts when Tea put a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, the next duel's about the start. Nanako Dojima and Yuuta Minami? Huh, they barely look old enough to have started grade school."

"I was about that age when I picked up my first deck. It's not so surprising to me Tea." Yugi replied, folding his arms over his chest as he leaned back into the couch. "I think it's good they're willing to put their hearts out there for the world to see."

"Yeah." Tea and Tristan said together, nodding their agreement as they too settled in to watch the duel.

_Inaba Duel Stadium._

"Ya did good up there, although ya didn't have to ground Shu's rock golems into fine powder while you was at it." Labrys's tone didn't contain a shred of disapproval despite her words, and the amused gleam in her red eyes said as much. "So, how do ya think she'll do Yu?" Labrys asked the moment Yu had sat down where Nanako had just been.

Looking up at the red platform his cousin now stood upon, Yu couldn't be sure, but he thought she was entirely too still. Either she was rooted to the spot from fear despite her earlier excitement, or she was going through a mental list of her deck, preparing herself for the duel that was about to start. When she looked up into the young boy's face that was on the other end of the field, Yu had his answer from the determined set of her jaw and the way her brown eyes focused solely on Yuuta's face. "I think she's going to be just fine Labrys." While the kind of determination he saw was different from what he was used to seeing on her face, Yu knew that she'd give it her all just as she did everything else. Her piano lessons, her school work, anything she set her mind to, Nanako poured her heart and soul into the endeavor.

"You're really into this huh Nana-chan? Well I can't lose, I have to win this for my mom!" Yuuta shouted, but not before looking towards the crowd. There, he met his stepmother's gaze, and she offered him a small smile of encouragement. It was all he needed as he set his deck down and pulled his first five cards.

Nanako followed suit, before drawing her first card of the match once their life point readers had hit 2000. "You're not the only one fighting for family Yuuta." Looking towards her father who was on one side of the stadium before looking towards her friends and her 'Big Brother', Nanako returned her gaze to the front as she set a magic card face down. "I also summon a monster card, in defense mode!" _There, __**Marshmallon**_ _will protect me while I put a plan in place._ **Four cards in hand** and **two on the field,** it wasn't a bad way to start in Nanako's opinion.

**BGM, Power Rangers Mystic Force intro.** (Although any PR theme music would work. D)

"Alright Nanako, prepare to meet my unstoppable team! Go! **Feather Hawk, Phoenix Ranger**!" **1300 / 1000** A young man in a red and white skin tight suit of armor appeared, jumping from his summoning circle before landing on his feet at the edge of his side of the field. When he landed, the red warrior struck a pose and waves of fire surrounded him before dying down, leaving him untouched. "Oh yeah, the leader of the Phoenix Ranger gets an effect when he's summoned to the field! He can summon another of his allies to the field if one of my Rangers are in my hand! Come out and play, **Feather Swan, Phoenix Ranger!" 1100 / 500** Yuuta slammed his second card on the field, and a similar summoning monster and animation followed as a blue ranger flipped backward, showing off his moves as he kicked, punched, and then finally stopped by his red counterpart. When they were side by side, a blue shower of sparks and electrical energy erupted around the warrior. "And because they're part of the same team, they get a power bonus of a 100 points!" **Feather Hawk 1400 / 1100. Feather Swan 1200 / 600**. "Now go, Feather Swan, take that face down monster to the edge! Swan Beam Shot!"

The blue Phoenix Ranger materialized a tech bow between his hands and pulled the blue energy stream back to his visor covered right eye. When he released the taut 'string', the blue beam that shot forth took the shape of a swan with its wings stretched wide before returning to its original arrow head shape.

"I don't think so!" Nanako declared as she flipped over her face down card. "I flip summon **Marshmallon!" 300 / 500**

"Oh crud." Yuuta blanched when the blue energy beam hit the cute pink marshmallow creature. Instead of shattering it into a thousand different pixels, the doe eyed pink ball like creature merely puffed itself back into its original shape before revealing a mouthful of razor sharp teeth. Beneath that cute mask lied a monster that could tear a man's arm off with ease.

"And because you activated him when he was face down, I can now take down half of your life points! Go, Marshmallon!" Nanako pointed at Yuuta, and the small creature shot off of her side of the field and made a beeline for Yuuta himself. "He can't be destroyed in battle either, so my life points are safe!" Nanako declared as the pink creature slammed into Yuuta, stripping him of half of his life points at the same time before reforming in front of Nanako. The monster returned to its cute veneer, concealing the inherent danger of attacking it. "Heehee. Thanks Marshmallon!" Yuuta 2000 LP - 1000 LP

"Way to go Nanako! Take that kid down!" Kanji shouted from the stands, pumping his fist into the air as Yuuta's points dropped from Nanako's well executed move.

"Booyah! Another hit like that and this duel's over!" Yosuke agreed, grinning from ear to ear until he caught sight of the grin on Yuuta's face. "Um, he just lost half of his life points. Why isn't he worried?"

"Because he has a plan already in motion. He might have wasted his attack against Nanako's Marshmallon, but there is always a way around it." Naoto stated softly, more than a little worried at where this duel might end up going.

"I had a feeling you had a Marshmallon in your deck Nana-chan, but I'll admit you caught me off guard. But now, this duel's mine! During my second Standby phase, I can activate this if I lost a 1000 Life Points due to an effect! Gather the Team!" Slapping a card down on his side of the field, the card Yuuta played materialized beside his two Rangers, depicting the rest of his Phoenix Rangers gathered in front of their base of operations, the Phoenix Tower. The magic card gave off a pink light, and moments later, another winged Ranger stepped out of the card and stood next to her compatriots. "You remember that bonus I mentioned? Now I get a 100 life points for every Ranger on the field, on top of the power bonus! Thanks **Feather Argus!**" 900 / 1200. 300 Power Bonus. 1200 / 1500 1000 LP - 1300 LP. **Feather Hawk, 1500 / 1200. Feather Swan, 1300 / 700.**

Despite being outnumbered three to one, Nanako didn't appeared worried as she drew another card. Considering Yuuta had used up most of his hand for that single play, that meant he didn't have a lot of options left to him. Even so, she didn't fall into a false sense of security as she looked through her own hand, and the hidden card behind her Marshmallon. _I don't want to use __**The Sanctuary in the Sky**_ _until I get __**Nova Summoner**__._ With a silent nod of her head, Nanako put down a Trap Card before deciding on an appropriate monster for the situation at hand. "I summon **Shining Angel**, in attack mode!" **1400 / 800**. "Now go, take down Feather Argus!"

"Oh no! I didn't put her in Defense Mode!" Yuuta watched in horror as the four golden wings of Nanako's Shining Angel took the angelic warrior to the sky above their dueling fields before he came down fast, like a hawk diving in for the kill, a glowing golden sword appearing in his hands which he used to cut Feather Argus down to size. The pink Ranger disappeared in a flash of light, never to be seen again. "And with one of their team gone, I lose a hundred points from my two remaining monsters." **Feather Hawk, 1400, 1100 and Feather Swan, 1200 / 600**. **1100 LP**

"Yep. Your move Yuuta." Nakao exclaimed, her brown eyes alight with joy at coming so close to winning in only a few moves. This was the best duel she had ever played, and she couldn't remember a time she had had so much fun, even with her Big Bro, his friends, and her daddy.

"I have to win!" Yuuta drew his next card, and perked up immediately at what he saw. "Yes! I think I can pull this around! I play the Field Spell, Phoenix Tower!" Yuuta's half of the playing field started to glow around the borders of the rectangles before the ground 'split', opening a fissure before something started to rise out of the ground. Amidst a storm of multicolor lights and arcs of mystical energy, a tower started to form. The base contained a giant orb above the massive metal doors that changed colors from red, to blue, black, yellow, pink, green, and finally white before going back to red. The tower itself had a pair of similarly colored wings sticking out of the back that changed colors as the orb did, mesmerizing everyone in the crowd at the beautiful light show. "Now, with Phoenix Tower in play, it doesn't matter if they're in my field or in the graveyard, I can still use it to summon my ultimate monster, Neo Featherman! I only need to draw them and summon them to the field. Before that though, I think I'll take out your Shining Angel. Go Feather Hawk! Red Talon Slash!"

A talon like claw weapon appeared on the red ranger's hands before he charged forward, leaving a trail of fire behind him wherever he went. With a roar of defiance, Shining Angel met the talon with his sword, but something was wrong as the red ranger disappeared and reappeared behind Nanako's monster. "I forgot to mention, but so long as Phoenix Tower is on the field, if our monsters have equal attack points, only yours are destroyed." Shining Angel's sword was shattered, and the angelic warrior soon followed as three smoldering slashes across his chest appeared. The explosion that followed had Nanako's pigtails flying back over her shoulders as she shielded her eyes from the bright light.

"Nanako-chan! Are you alright?!" Teddie shouted, worried for her safety despite the purely digital nature of the game. He wasn't the only one as Yu and the rest of her friends looked up towards her with concern and worry.

When the explosion finally disappeared, Nanako pulled her arms away and looked towards where her Shining Angel once stood. The happy smile on her face was the last thing Yuuta expected as a white light started to rain down on her side of the playing field. "While the loss of my only attacking monster wasn't what I wanted to occur, you've done me a favor by allowing me to special summon something else that has 1500 attack points or less. And I choose Nova Summoner from my deck!" A new angelic being appeared on Nanako's side of the field where her Shining Angel once stood. **Nova Summoner. 1400 / 800.**

"Fine. I put another Ranger face down and end my turn." Yuuta replied, gritting his teeth even as his rangers gained back the hundred points they had lost from Feather Argus's destruction earlier. **Feather Hawk, 1500 /1200, Feather Swan 1300 / 700, and a face down.**

"Um, what just happened?" Chie asked, confused as to why Nanako seemed so happy despite the loss of her power house. "Does it have something to do with her two face downs?"

"I believe so. If Nova Summoner's destroyed in battle, she can summon another 1500 or lower monster, unless one of those cards is a special Field Spell for her Fairy type monsters. Then she can summon a monster that can take out Yuuta's Phoenix Rangers one by one, even with their ability to power up with their leader on the field." Yukiko replied, but she wasn't entirely certain that would be enough. "That's assuming Yuuta doesn't pull anymore of his Rangers first and isn't able to summon his Neo Featherman. If he does that, then this duel could go to him."

"Here goes. First, I play **The Sanctuary in the Sky Field** Spell card!" One of the cards Nanako had put down earlier flipped over, revealing the magic card for what it was. Divine light parted a swarm of dark storm clouds that had formed over Nanako's field area, and a floating stone city in the sky started to descend. Dozens of small and large fairy type creatures flew through the city, their wings carrying them on invisible air currents to one part of the heavenly city to the next. "With this card, I can use Nova Summoner's ability to special summon Airknight Parshath the same way Shining Angel allowed me to summon my current monster. Go, attack Feather Hawk!" Once again, her monster didn't survive the encounter as her Nova Summoner was cut down to size, but Nanako didn't suffer any damage whatsoever. "With the Sanctuary on the field, I don't take any Battle Damage so long as I use a Fairy type monster to fight. So my life points are safe, and I get to special summon **Airknight Parshath** thanks to Nova's special ability!" **Airknight Parshath 1900 / 1400**

The stone doors at the back of the floating city opened wide, emitting a light of its own from the back of the temple until a monster started to take shape. Once it was at the edge of the city, it dove off the edge, arms out wide as the armored centaur came to a running stop in front of Nanako's side of the field. The knight's light blue helmet, chest, and his waist had white angel wings attached to the similarly blue and green armor underneath. A majestic, jewel encrusted sword was in his left hand, while a similarly jewel encrusted shield rested in his right. He brought them together across his chest before swinging his arms out wide, as if saying no one would be allowed past him. "I also put another magic card face down and end my turn."

"She threw her monster at that Red Phoenix Ranger, but she was able to summon that thing?!" Chie exclaimed, admiring the centaur like being as he stood before Nanako's field. "What other tricks does she have up her sleeve?!" With Marshmallon and now Airknight Parshath on her field, she didn't see how Nanako could lose as it was.

"Archlord Kristya." Yukiko stated softly, almost too soft to be heard by her friend over the roar of the crowd.

"Archlord Kristya?! What the heck is that thing?!" Chie asked, turning to her best friend before immediately turning back to the dueling arena.

"I'm surprised you don't remember it. It was in her deck when Rise dueled her. But anyway, if she's able to summon it, you'll see for yourself Chie. But like that Neo Featherman Yuuta's trying to get, he requires his own elements to be brought to the field." With that said, both young women looked to the field, sharing a similar hope that Nanako could pull off the power play she was going for.

"My turn then." Yuuta's grim visage melted away when he saw the card he had been waiting for. "YES! I did it! This game is mine!" Slapping the magic card onto the field, Yuuta's ecstatic grin seemed to consume his entire face as his Red Ranger held up his hand to the sky until something started to form in his open hand. "Neo Featherman's Summoning Flute! Normally, White Horned Owl would use the Flute to summon Neo Featherman in this way, but by sacrificing half of my remaining life points, I can circumvent that requirement with Phoenix Tower on the field. And because I have four Rangers, either on my field or in the graveyard, it's possible for me to do this after I banish them all to the Discard Pile!" 1100 - 650 LP.

"Oh great, this doesn't look good." Kanji growled as the three Rangers on Yuuta's field disappeared one after the other as the orb's lightning touched them. The Phoenix Tower glowed brighter than ever until the wings folded over the building, concealing the orb yet still generating enough light to blind Nanako, who was the closest to the Field Spell.

"This is beary bad! I can sense a powerful presence coming out of that Tower!" Teddie shouted, waving his arms frantically in alarm as a massive silhouette started to form behind the protective wings of the Phoenix Tower. When it seemed the light being generated by both the tower and the massive creature taking shape behind its winged protector couldn't get any brighter, the light suddenly cut out, and the wings pulled away. "It's-it's ginormous! How is Nanako-chan supposed to beat that thing?!"

**Neo Featherman. 2600 / 3000**. The robotic warrior that now stood in front of Yuuta's side of the field was a giant colossus of several smaller robotic vehicles. As was to be expected given the Phoenix Ranger theme, their gigantic assault vehicle was also configured after their unique armor. Wings, talons on both its feet and hands, and a head piece that looked like the beak of a majestic bird were quite prominent, as was the similarly shaped shield and sword it swung about much like Airknight Parshath had swung his own weapons. "Neo Featherman, take down her Airknight Parshath with Phoenix Saber Strike!"

Neo Featherman took one step forward before swinging his massive blade which had become covered in blue flames the moment he started to move. Blue flame wings sprouted from his back at the same time, and despite his massive size, Neo Featherman blew right past Airknight Parshath and Marshmallon, destroying them both with one swing of his sword. "The reason why it took so much to summon Neo Featherman is because he has two unique abilities to his name. He can negate enemy Field Spell Card Effects, and if a monster, like Marshmallon, can't be destroyed by Battle, he can negate that effect and deduct the defense points right from your Life Points. So your Field Spell is useless with him on the field!" Nanako's LP. 2000 - (700 from Battle with Airknight Parshath and 500 from Marshmallon Effect destruction,) 1200 = 800

**BGM. Persona 4 Golden, I'll Face Myself. (Reincarnation.)**

The backwash from the blue inferno once again had Nanako shielding her face as the raging inferno consumed everything but her face down magic cards. In a single move, Yuuta had shattered her defenses and had taken her completely by surprise. So much so she hadn't even played her Waboku that she had put on the field near the start of the duel. Looking up at the enormous Phoenix Zord, she wasn't sure she had it in her to take that thing down. "Big Bro….I don't know if I can do it." Nanako whispered, fear having found its way into her small frame at the seemingly unstoppable monster staring her down.

"Nanako!" Yu shouted, snapping her out of her daze. "I might seem tough now, but I know you can do it! I know you can win! You have the cards to take that scrap heap apart!" His own animosity aside towards anything Featherman related, Yu knew that Nanako could pull out of this situation. He didn't know how, but his heart shouted that it was true. It had not failed him yet, and he believed it now, more than ever.

"Yeah Nanako-chan, show that thing who's boss!" Chie shouted next, standing to her feet as she danced on the balls of her feet. "Hit it good and hard!"

"Don't let your Big Sis down Nanako, I know you can win this!" Yukiko said after putting her hands over her mouth in a crude megaphone shape. "You can do it!"

"Make me proud Nanako!" Ryotaro shouted as loud as he could, having stood to his feet the moment the giant robot had returned to Yuuta's side of the field. "Even if you don't win, you've made me the happiest father on the planet! Now come on Nanako, show that thing why you're a Dojima!"

"We're all right here with you Nana-chan!" Yosuke cried out as the others did the same in their own fashion, offering their own words of encouragement.

_They're right. I CAN do this! And I know how!_ Nanako reached towards her deck to draw her next card, her fighting spirit back with a vengeance as she remembered the special ability that came with her best monster. It was time to end this duel. _Mommy, help me draw the card I need._ Slowly pulling the card off the deck, Nanako couldn't at first look at the card in her hand, but she mustered up her courage and finally opened her eyes. She couldn't believe it, and held the card in front of her face as her mind tried to comprehend what had happened. When it clicked, a single tear rolled down her face as she looked towards Yuuta. "You've been an amazing opponent Yuuta, but I can't lose now, not with mommy helping me to draw the one card I needed. With exactly four Fairy monsters in the Graveyard, I can summon this card to the field! Archlord Kristya!" Marshmallon, Shining Angel, Nova Summoner, and Airknight Parshath appeared in front of the Sanctuary in the Sky's main temple gate before shrinking down into four balls of golden light, which were sucked into the temple. The doors slammed shut, but they were shattered when a new beast emerged with a beat of fiery red angel wings. **Archlord Kristya. 2800 / 2300**

"She did it, she actually did it!" Naoto exclaimed, her calm demeanor forgotten at the sight that was coming down to rest before Nanako.

"I knew she could do it!" Kanji shouted, once again pumping his fist into the air as the new monster settled before the little girl, his white armored gauntlets clenched into fists in what Kanji figured was rage for his fallen comrades. "You're in trouble now! Show that robot who's in charge!"

"I'm not done yet. I also play the magic card, Silver bow and Arrow!" Nanako shouted before slapping the card onto the game board. "With this card, my Archlord Kristya gains another 300 points to his Attack and Defense!" **Archlord Kristya, 3100 / 2600**

"No, it can't be! I can't lose, not with Neo Featherman on the field!" The armored giant angelic warrior pulled back on his new bow and let fly a silver enchanted arrow, which slammed into Neo Featherman's armored chest. It didn't stop there as the arrow passed through the machine, leaving a smoldering hole in its wake, causing the creature to bend at the waist as if doubling over in pain. The robot then exploded, throwing multicolored sparks and electrical arcs in every direction.

"And because you sacrificed four of your Rangers, one of which was the traitorous Feather Hawk, you take a hit to your Life Points equal to half of his original Attack Points!" Nanako shouted as she pointed her finger at Yuuta, who looked stunned at having forgotten the price of using his favorite of the bunch to summon his Neo Featherman to the field in the first place. Feather Hawk was quick to remind him as the Red Phoenix Ranger materialized in front of him, and took a swing at Yuuta, taking his measly 150 life points, and ending the duel in Nanako's favor.

Yuuta could only stare off into space, his hope of winning the match shattered at his own mistake as his platform began its descent. "Yuuta! Yuuta!" Looking up, the young boy had to blink past his tears until his vision cleared, and he was able to focus on the face of his mother. "Don't cry Yuuta, you have nothing to be ashamed of. You fought your hardest, that's all I care about, and that you had fun doing it." Eri stated softly as she knelt down to his level before pulling him into her arms.

"I wanted to win for you." Yuuta said between his sobs, but Eri merely shook her head and wiped at his eyes with a white handkerchief she had pulled from around her neck.

"I don't care if you win or lose Yuuta. You don't have to prove anything to me." Eri stated in the same soothing tone, and it seemed to finally get through as Yuuta wiped at his own eyes with the back of his arm, a small smile returning to his face. It was only then they noticed Nanako standing next to them, and she wasn't alone since Yu was standing right beside her.

"Thank you for the match Yuuta. It was the most fun I've ever had!" Bowing her head to the watery eyed boy, Nanako grabbed his hand before he could begin to process what was going on, and slipped a ring of beads into his hand. "It's something I made at school. Big Bro has one, and I wanted you to have one too! I hope we can...still be friends after this."

"Thank you Nanako." Yuuta slowly closed his fist over the ring before looking up into the girl's face, newfound determination appearing in his eyes as he nodded his head. "Yeah, we're still friends. But the next time we duel, you won't be so lucky!"

"Thank you for attending the event with her Yu." Eri said, smiling down at the two children at their feet. "This is exactly what we needed after being in that empty house for so long."

"It was my pleasure Eri. Yuuta's quite an accomplished duelist, and a good friend for Nanako. Don't let anyone tell you different." Yu stated before they parted ways amidst the cheers of the crowd.

"Another duel for the record books folks! Nanako Dojima stood her ground against the one and only Neo Featherman and won the day thanks to a combo finish from her Archlord Kristya! What other surprises are in store for us?! Only one way to find out, after this commercial break!" Rise took the time between breaks to run downstairs to the dueling arena and make a beeline for the competitor's row. There was no way she was sitting in that booth after that near miraculous recovery.

**Ending Notes;** I loved Power Rangers as a kid, and I still watch the occasional episode on Netflix or Youtube, and I'm well past my childhood years lol. When I remembered there were multiple references for a new series of 'Phoenix Rangers' in the Persona games, I knew I had to somehow incorporate that theme into a deck, and with Yuuta's fascination with the series, I had my excuse to run it. Needless to say, it was a blast! As for the end effect that had the Featherman Hawk turning on Yuuta, there's an episode listed in the Persona wiki that reads Hawk's Betrayal or something along those lines, so it made sense to end the duel that way.

As for the change of BGM, that scene without the music had me near tears as it was. Playing that music though nearly broke that final barrier, so trust me, play it and you won't regret it lol. At any rate, I hope this is a step up from my last duel. Adios and have a good night!


End file.
